LAHORE, Jul 28 (APP):The Punjab Home Department on Tuesday highlighted its rehabilitation-oriented criminal justice reforms as students participating in the Punjab Probation and Parole Service Summer Internship Programme visited the department for a training session. The delegation of 30 students from seven universities met Special Secretary Home Zainab Khan. Inspector General of Prisons Mian Salik Jalal, Probation and Parole Director General Shahid Iqbal, Prisons Additional Secretary Roman Burana and other …
Punjab says 70,000 inmates, 40,000 probationers undergoing rehabilitation
LAHORE, Jul 28 (APP):The Punjab Home Department on Tuesday highlighted its rehabilitation-oriented criminal justice reforms as students participating in the Punjab Probation and Parole Service Summer Internship Programme visited the department for a training session.
The delegation of 30 students from seven universities met Special Secretary Home Zainab Khan. Inspector General of Prisons Mian Salik Jalal, Probation and Parole Director General Shahid Iqbal, Prisons Additional Secretary Roman Burana and other senior officials attended the session.
The participants, belonging to the disciplines of psychology, sociology, social work, criminology, law and gender studies, represented Government College University Lahore, Punjab University, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Beaconhouse National University, Kinnaird College for Women University and Forman Christian College University.
Addressing the interns, Special Secretary Home Zainab Khan said the Punjab Probation and Parole Department was reducing the burden on prisons through accountability and rehabilitation. She said the Punjab government had launched the “Naya Aghaz” programme for prisoners, under which deserving inmates released from jail would be provided interest-free loans of up to Rs200,000 to help them establish small businesses using vocational skills acquired during incarceration.
She said the internship programme reflected the department’s commitment to preparing future professionals in the field of criminal justice and rehabilitation.
Briefing the participants on prison reforms, Additional Secretary Prisons Roman Burana highlighted initiatives introduced under the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
IG Prisons Mian Salik Jalal said around 70,000 inmates across Punjab prisons were undergoing rehabilitation and correctional training. He said more than 100,000 books had been provided to prison barrack libraries, while inmates were receiving technical training in 23 different trades under the skilled prisoners programme.
He added that a prison visitation mobile application introduced for inmates’ families had already been used by over 50,000 people.
DG Shahid Iqbal said the department was supervising the rehabilitation of around 40,000 probationers across Punjab. He said interns were being provided practical exposure to the province’s criminal justice and community corrections system, including rehabilitation of accidental offenders and training on countering violent extremism.
During the visit, the students also toured the Provincial Intelligence Centre and the Digital Media Public Outreach Cell, where Director Public Relations Tauseef Sabih Gondal briefed them on cyber patrolling and public awareness campaigns.
Officials informed the participants that the Home Department’s Cyber Patrolling Cell had reported more than 9,000 objectionable social media accounts to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) since the start of Muharram. The interns were also briefed on the department’s Central Control Room and Quick Action System.
As part of the internship programme, the students also visited courts, the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), Rescue 1122, Central Jail Lahore and the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA).
