VELLORE: In order to reduce crime rate, moral education should be imparted in schools, felt VIT Chancellor G Viswanathan. He said this while speaking at a function on Monday night held to honour Dr M R Ahmed, Director of the Academy of Prisons and Correctional Administration (APCA). Dr Ahmed has been conferred with the Professor S S Srivastava Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research in Criminology at the international conference of Indian Society of Criminology held at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, recently.Viswanathan said that while economic and educational development was helping the poor and the marginal to improve their living conditions, steps must be taken to prevent crime at the grassroots level. This, according to him, is possible only if students are exposed to moral education from the school level itself.Ahmed, while describing the award conferred on him as unique in recognition of his contribution in improving the prison administration system and enabling personnel to do their best, noted that his exposure visits to prisons across the world, especially in countries like the UK, had helped in bringing about changes in the form of ‘community service as punishment for people who had committed crimes’ which was accepted by the Andhra Pradesh government.“The proposal is pending with the Government of India for making the requisite changes in the penal system,” he added. The video linkage between prisons and courts was also his brainchild and was first implemented in AP in 2001. He also received the Presidential Medal for Distinguished Services in 2007. After he took over the running of APCA in 2009, he introduced courses for personality development and skill development for prison officials. The research section at APCA was revived last year and the award was in recognition of this work, added Ahmed.
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