NEW DELHI: Those who saw him in the observation home for boys at Majnu ka Tila days after the Nirbhaya gang rape recall he didn't show any sign of shock, anxiety or guilt. Just a stony, defiant silence. Some read in it the hardening that results from a childhood shaped by poverty, a dysfunctional family, and child labour. But mental health experts noticed behavioural signs that would require attention.

Three years on and just a day before his scheduled release , nobody's quite sure of the persona behind his wall of reserve. The 17-year-old juvenile-youngest in the group of six that brutalised Nirbhaya-is now a youth of 20, and those who have seen him mature say he must be monitored closely through an after-care plan incorporating psycho-social components.

Mental health experts say recidivism or a return to crime is quite common among convicts, especially those who have committed rape, murder and other heinous crimes.

All the secrecy surrounding him has given rise to many questions. Does he feel threatened by the outside world, or is he likely to be a threat to society? Those who believe he has repented and reformed demand protection and re-integration for him, others are calling for severe punishment.

Delhi Government, though, has made it clear that it will act according to the order of Juvenile Justice Board. It is clearly keeping all options open, including putting him under the watch of a reformative institution, such as an after-care home.

"When the boy was brought to the home, he was strikingly 'apathetic' and wanted to be left alone. The first signs of societal threat appeared within the home when the other boys viewed him with contempt and he had to be kept completely segregated," a source said.

During the initial counselling sessions, the juvenile is said to have denied committing the crime and insisted on being left alone to serve his three-year sentence in silence. Several councillors talked to him over the years but couldn't get him to break out of his shell. The consensus now is that he needs to be monitored closely. Although his mother has been a regular visitor, experts say, rehabilitation in his village may not serve the purpose of reform at this stage.

Senior psychiatrist Jitendra Nagpal, who has worked on mental health issues linked to juveniles, said in such cases the psycho-social integration plan must incorporate monitoring over the next three to five years. "A structured and sheltered approach should be adopted to ensure that he is not perceived as a risk for himself and others," Nagpal said. "Literature shows that supressed frustration and aggression can trigger deviant behaviour leading to repeat offences in cases where the person has been involved in a heinous crime. Vocational engagement is an important component but behavioural monitoring is critical."

Monica Kumar, clinical psychologist with Manas Foundation, said that in such cases rehabilitation must be preceded by a full-fledged engagement with the family or next of kin through regular counselling to enable social integration of the juvenile. Also, such persons can potentially take to crime if not counselled and supported through a rehabilitation plan, she added.

Manas has worked closely with Delhi Government's observation homes in the past and is now engaged in mental health-related interventions in the Nirmal Chhaya Home complex for women.

