Govindachamy escape: What does his body language indicate, how to handle offenders like him? Doctor analyses

Hours after escaping the high-security Kannur Central Jail in Kerala, Govindachamy(41)—convicted for the rape of a 23-year-old woman on a train—was captured on Friday (July 25). The disabled habitual offender was arrested in 2011.

“He has always been quite casual in his approach... He has never felt the need to even hide his face in public,” says renowned mental health expert Dr CJ John in his analysis of Govindachamy’s body language and behaviour. Dr John explores the mental health profile of the convict, who is serving a life term, and discusses how such offenders should be handled by the system.

No remorse, highly influential
At no point has Govindachamy exhibited any remorse in his ways, observes Dr John. "He has always been quite casual in his approach. While many accused or offenders try to hide their faces in public at least, he has never felt the need to do so. Moreover, he has won adequate support from the system too, which shows the kind of legal help he could access," he says. After his initial probe, Deputy Inspector General of Prisons (North Zone) V. Jayakumar stated that Govindachamy had executed the jailbreak with meticulous planning, and he suspected that the convict had received assistance. 

What does his lack of remorse indicate? "Lack of remorse is an indication of psychopathic behaviour. Such individuals do not learn from experiences or correct their ways. They might not transform through remediation. They believe that what they do is their nature or character," he explains.

Apparently, those with psychopathic tendencies are quite smart enough to manipulate the system and be in the good books of officers. "They know how to influence, manipulate and corrupt our system so that they can live happily," says Dr John.

In such cases, how should our authorities handle people like Govindachamy? "Steps should be taken to ensure that such offenders do not interact too much with others in jail, especially those who turned to crime due to circumstances. They should be given rigorous responsibilities and duties, and also be rewarded for doing good work. If in any case they come out of jail, they should be monitored well too," he says.

How should our correctional systems be reformed?
Dr John, who often teaches classes in prisons, observes that the scope for positive mental reform is limited in our jails under current circumstances. "Yes, there are some activities like chapathi making that offer the inmates opportunities to earn, but it is doubtful how much such initiatives can help in improving mental health," he says.

Moreover, inmates are not treated as humans but as criminals in our jails. As for handling the mental health of offenders, the current system has options to treat only those who ventured into crime driven by psychological issues, he says.

At the same time, even those who leave jail reformed, after punishment, are not given ample opportunities by society to live a new, clean life, the doctor says. "Once, I had a patient who came to me with depression. He was once jailed for theft, but mended his ways over time. However, even after he left the jail, police officers in uniform would visit his home and question him whenever a similar incident occurred in his neighbourhood. Such practices can be demotivating. What's the point of transformation if the system never gives you the benefits of the same?" says Dr John.

How should offenders be handled?
Dr John says that if what we need is true transformation, authorities should map the positive and negative traits of offenders through a social worker, learn their circumstances, prepare data on them, and study them through an individual-centred approach.

However, is such a process practical in our country? "Why not?" the doctor asks, explaining. "We have a social welfare department, and even district social welfare teams. This is not a process that needs a lot of manpower. All we need to do is create a trained social work team for it," he explains.

He adds, "If they are housed in jails without trying to transform them, the offenders will only influence each other and become worse. Therefore, remediation planning is an essential service for society. Every time crimes occur, we wonder where our correctional systems go wrong, don't we? Here's how we can avoid repeat offences and handle culprits right," he explains.
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