Premature release of convicts: New guidelines drafted in Karna

Certain categories of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment in Karnataka could be set free after 14 years based on good conduct as per the new guidelines for premature release drafted by the state government.
"Following a petition, the Supreme Court had asked the government to draft new guidelines for remission of the sentence of such convicts and also wanted the Governor to give his assent to the guidelines. Now it is ready," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said today.
Under the new guidelines, a life convict could be released "after 14 years if his or her conduct was extremely good," he told reporters here after a cabinet meeting.

The guidelines will apply to such prisoners who have had a record of good behaviour during their imprisonment and parole, the minister said.
In 2010, the prison department had thrice sent a list of 594 convicts to Governor H R Bhardwaj after evaluating several parameters, such as good behaviour and having served ten years in jail.
Bhardwaj, however, returned the files, stating that the prison department should send details of individual cases along with the copy of the Supreme Court judgement on the remission of life sentence.
The guidelines say that a convict who is not convicted of rape, forgery, dacoity, murder, terrorist crimes, offense against the state and those cleared by All India Jail Reform Committee, can be released after they serve 14 years of sentence.