A 59-year-old Kottayam native who was released from the Viyyur jail faced a predicament — he had no family to speak of and did not know where to go.
It was then that the Social Justice Department came to his aid.
The man, who suffers from heart problems, is the first resident of Thanalidam, an institution at Valakom, Kollam, that will house people who come out of jails but have nowhere to go to.
Those released from jail on special parole against the backdrop of COVID-19 will also be rehabilitated at Thanalidam, to be run by the Pathanapuram-based voluntary organisation Gandhi Bhavan, Minister for Social Justice K.K. Shylaja said in a statement.
Funds for the institution will be met under the Nervazhi project of the department.
Probationers under the supervision of district probation officers who have no family or friends to take them, former prisoners who have no fixed abode, undertrials on bail and those sent on parole will be housed in the halfway home till they can find temporary or permanent accommodation.
Police assistance
Two ex-prisoners from Kozhikode — a 56-year-old and a 25-year-old — and a 22-year-old probation from Kollam too have expressed interest to shift to Thanalidam. Owing to the lockdown, they will be shifted there with police assistance.
Men between the ages of 18 and 70 who are not bedridden or have mental health problems will be housed at Thanalidam.
The admission will be done on the basis of letters from district probation officers or jail superintendents. A probation subcommittee led by the District Collector will have to approve the admission.
Individual care plans will be prepared for each of the residents of the halfway home, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses to aid their rehabilitation and prevent return to a life of crime.
Livelihood training and jobs will be provided to them.
The department, in association with other government wings, will ensure that each resident can have a house, job, and family of their own for reintegration into society.
