the idea of prison inmates and presence of a theatre shows the creativity for easing their monotony.
the last quote in the article indicates a sense of hope, by the inmate performers, for adjusting to the ‘normal’ society, again.
any thoughts on this, from a punishment to the criminals’s point of view?
Re: India's prison theatre gives hope -article on BBC
One of the former Police Chiefs in India, Ms. Kiran Bedi had intiated prison reforms in India long time back. Prisons should act as a catalyst for reforming wrong doers rather than converting them into hardened nuts..that was her philosophy.
It is a fact that all types of punishments (including capital punishment) have miserably failed in eliminating crime from the society. This approach addresses symptoms but does not eliminate the root causes of wrongdoing.
A state which provides opportunities to address basic needs of people and has an educational system which enlightens people and helps them in differentiating needs from desires, staying away from hoarding mentality, helps in eliminating social inequality would largely be free from crime. Such a system would also ensure that tax payers money will not be wasted in running these liabilities.
Society also needs a change in mindset to accept these reformed individuals to come back to the mainstream. A transport company in India has provided job offers to many petty criminals...such kinds of initiatives need to be encouraged.
Why crime rate is the lowest in Scandinavian countries..because a man in the street doesn't encounter pangs of hunger, social inequality is next to nil etc.
Solutions to such problems are within reach..all one needs is the willpower to engage in such good deeds.
Re: India's prison theatre gives hope -article on BBC
DSPathania,
Your comments do make sense.
Repercussions can be severe if the criminals are taught and treated as no-good after they have killed their time in prisons. In the same breath, people in the society want to be assured that they will safe from a future in which a prior criminal will not commit another life-risking crime. There is a delicate balance between judging and over judging, risk-benefit analysis of what will work in case of criminals and normalizing their lives back into the society.
Dushi
Re: India's prison theatre gives hope -article on BBC
Dear D,
Yes you are right