Jail institution is one of the three major components of
Criminal law system. In recent times, the social opinion about prisoners has
changed a lot. Today a jail is not seen as only a place made for punishment,
but also as a place with a hope of amelioration in prisoners. This fact had led
to more emphasis on improving the condition of jails, so that the prisoners may
develop a healthy and optimistic perception towards society. The main purpose
of this action is to reinstate them back into society once they are acquitted.
Jail and its administration is a subject of Schedule 7 List II Column 4 of
Constitution of India .Different states/union territories has various levels of
jails. Central jails and district jails are the most common types and are
considered as the standard Jail Institutions. Other types of jails are Women
jails, Juvenile jails, Open jails and Special jails.
Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Right (PVCHR) has made
the following report about the condition of prison and the prisoners living in
it on the basis of data obtained under Right to information Act.
Condition of all District Jails in Uttar Pradesh
There are total 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh with the
current prison strength of 66. Currently these 66 prisons have a capacity of
accommodating 8428 prisoners but because of loose administration there are a
total no of 48970 prisoners currently locked up in those cells. It means that
the prisoners currently accommodated in those prisons are more than 6 times as
per the original capacity of them.
As per the obtained
information, in the 9 districts with no prisons construction works are being
initiated. After the completion of these additional 9 jails the total capacity
of jails will increase to 11326, which would still be less than 4 times the
current strength of prisoners.
As per the information, in 2013 the total strength of
prisoners under Section 436-A was 2609, out of which 200 prisoners were
acquitted later, leaving the current no of prisoners to 2409.
As per the information under the bail able Section 436(1) of
IPC there was a total strength of 22937 prisoners under which 19281 prisoners
got acquitted and now the current no. of prisoners is 3656.
Details of procedural help given to prisoners in Uttar Pradesh
As per the obtained information in Uttar Pradesh a total no. of 16 under trial prisoners are getting procedural help and 2 proven guilty as well. For the district procedural help 30 applications were sent out of which only 2 have been able to get state’s counsel. In a similar manner 35 cases were sent in Lok Adalats for settlement out of which 16 cases have been resolved, which include acquittal of 2 prisoners as well.
Similarly, in prisons there are 123 proven guilty prisoners
who have already been granted bail but due to failure of paying the bail amount
and required bail documents in the court they are still locked up. There are
322 proven guilty prisoners without any legal help and they’ve sent their
appeals in higher courts through jail administration. Currently, there are 1314
prisoners who are getting state’s help in their legal affair.
Condition of Women in Jails of Uttar Pradesh
According to the provided information there are 26 women who
have their child and have been in prison since 2010. 6 women have delivered a child in prison
since 2010.
As per the information, facilities like Yoga camps and
employment providing skill sessions are organized for women and children under
the prison. Television sets are also available for entertainment value.
From 2010 there are total 381under trial and 19 proven guilty
women. Since 2010, 11 woman prisoners have been getting legal aid by state.
Condition of Allahabad Naini Jail
As per the given information, since 2010, 27602 under trial
prisoners have come in Allahabad District jail out of which 25276 have been
acquitted and currently 2326 prisoners are imprisoned. Prison has a total no of
37 barracks. On being asked about the no. of prisoners living in each barrack
it was told that the no of prisoners constantly change but on an average it is
63. No information was provided regarding the shower rooms of prisoners. There
are 302 bathrooms in the jail but no information was provided regarding the
conditions of those bathrooms. No clear information regarding the food
facilities of prisoners was provided. Only thing that was told was that
prisoners were served according to the jail manual which was not provided to
us.
As per the information, in the Allahabad Jail there are 4 physicians, 3 pharmacists, 1 technician and 1 lab assistant appointed. Information regarding the no. of beds and rehabilitation scheme for acquitted prisoners was not provided. Television sets are there in prison for entertainment. For physical entertainment arrangements of sports like Volleyball, Chess and Badminton have been made. No answer was given to the question of any improvement scheme for prisoners.
As per the information, in the Allahabad Jail there are 4 physicians, 3 pharmacists, 1 technician and 1 lab assistant appointed. Information regarding the no. of beds and rehabilitation scheme for acquitted prisoners was not provided. Television sets are there in prison for entertainment. For physical entertainment arrangements of sports like Volleyball, Chess and Badminton have been made. No answer was given to the question of any improvement scheme for prisoners.
A teacher has been appointed for education of prisoners. With
that, provisions have been made for filling forms of High School, Inter or any
other examination and university education through IGNOU, though the no. of
students is not specified.
4 prisoners have got state’s legal aid in the prison.
4 prisoners have got state’s legal aid in the prison.
Conditions of Sultanpur District Jail
Similarly, as per the information Since 2010 there are 747
under trials in Sultanpur Jail. There are 11 barracks in the prison with no. of
prisoners in each cell 100,115,120,102,110,65,35,30,30,35,15 respectively. Only
2 shower rooms are available for the whole 747 prisoners. This speaks of what
difficulties prisoners face in their daily activity. Information about the
condition of shower rooms and toilets was not provided.
Menu of the food provided to the prisoners was provided which
included bread, tea, jaggery, sprouts, daliya and are given as per the
schedule.
In lunch rice , chapatis, different types of pulses and vegetables are provided.
In dinner, rice, chapatis and pulses are given.
In lunch rice , chapatis, different types of pulses and vegetables are provided.
In dinner, rice, chapatis and pulses are given.
Pudi-sabji and sweet dish Halwa are provided every Sunday as
well.
There is a hospital available with 2 doctors, 2 pharmacists , 1 X-ray technician, 1 dark room attendant and 8 nurses but the information about the no. of beds in the hospital is not provided.
There is a hospital available with 2 doctors, 2 pharmacists , 1 X-ray technician, 1 dark room attendant and 8 nurses but the information about the no. of beds in the hospital is not provided.
For rehabilitation of prisoners help of local NGOs like Art
of Living, Lok Adhikar Seva Samiti, Cted Sultanpur and Pratap Seva Samiti is
taken. Though the specifics of how it is done is not provided.
Prisoners get their education through educational
institutions but no information is provided on many prisoners are provided with
the opportunity.
6 prisoners have got legal help from state.
6 prisoners have got legal help from state.
Condition of Jaunpur District Jail
Since 2010 the information regarding the inmates was 2617
pages long and a fees of Rs.2 per page was asked that totalled to 5234 even
though the similar details of other prisons were obtained through RTI. There
are total 10 barracks in jail but the information of no. of inmates in each
barrack was not provided. There are 7 shower rooms and 41 toilets. When asked
about the condition shower rooms, a fee of Rs.2 per page amounting to Rs.20 was
demanded and no information was given regarding the condition of toilets. No
details regarding the food of prisoners were provided either.
There is a hospital with 2 doctors,2 pharmacists and 20 beds.
Television is present for the entertainment of prisoners and provisions have
been made for physical entertainments like sports. Preaching is also organized
along with yoga sessions and bhajans. No information regarding the improvement
of prisoners was provided. It was told that prisoners get paid for their
physical labour but the no. of prisoners and the amount paid to them was not
given.
1 teacher has been appointed and examinations are conducted with help of educational institutions. A total no. of 368 received legal aid from the state.
1 teacher has been appointed and examinations are conducted with help of educational institutions. A total no. of 368 received legal aid from the state.
Conditions of Gazipur Jail
There are total 483 under trial prisoners since 2010 in
gazipur jail. There are 13 barracks and the data regarding the no. of prisoners
in each barrack was not provided. There are 4 shower rooms and 64 toilets and details
regarding their condition was not given.
Prisoners are provided food on a weekly basis as per the jail
manual but a copy of such document was not provided.
The prison hospital has 1 doctor and 1 pharmacist and details
on X-ray technician , ward boy or nurse appointment were not provided and the
information regarding the no. of beds was absent as well.
No information was facilitated on provisions of
rehabilitation of prisoners.
Activities like sports i.e. Volleyball, carom, badminton and cultural programs are organized for entertainment of inmates.
Activities like sports i.e. Volleyball, carom, badminton and cultural programs are organized for entertainment of inmates.
There is 1 teacher appointed for education of prisoners and 6
of the prisoners are provided with legal aid from state.
Conditions of Varanasi district Jail
How many under trial prisoners does Varanasi district jail
have?
How many barracks are there in the jail?
How many shower rooms and toilets are available for inmates
and what are their conditions?
None of the above questions were answered by the RTO officer.
On question of food provided to prisoners it was told that inmates were served
food as per jail manual but copy of the document was not provided.
On question of medical attention and care of inmates it was
provided that inmates are taken care of as per the jail manual but as mentioned
above the copy of so was not provided. There are 2 doctors and 1 pharmacist
appointed.
No information regarding the rehabilitation of prisoners was provided. Television sets are available for entertainment of inmates and sports events are organized .
No information regarding the rehabilitation of prisoners was provided. Television sets are available for entertainment of inmates and sports events are organized .
Provisions regarding improvement of prisoners were also not
answered.
For education there is a teacher appointed and university education can be obtained through IGNOU. Details regarding state’s legal aid for prisoners were also unanswered.
For education there is a teacher appointed and university education can be obtained through IGNOU. Details regarding state’s legal aid for prisoners were also unanswered.
Conditions of Balia Jail
As per the information there are a total no of 311 under
trial prisoners since 2010. There are 10 barracks with each having 70-80
inmates. There are 9 shower rooms available and 47 toilets are available in
daytime and 17 during the night.
No information on conditions of shower rooms and toilet was
provided.
A weekly menu of prisoners food was provided which included different menus for different week days. Food included in the menu were bread, tea, bananas, sprouts and daliya as breakfasts, and chapatis, pulses, vegetables, rice and pudis as lunch and dinner in the jail.
A weekly menu of prisoners food was provided which included different menus for different week days. Food included in the menu were bread, tea, bananas, sprouts and daliya as breakfasts, and chapatis, pulses, vegetables, rice and pudis as lunch and dinner in the jail.
There is a jail hospital present with an ambulance. There is
1 doctor and a pharmacist appointed and information regarding X ray technician,
lab attendant and no. of beds in the hospitals was not given.
No schemes for rehabilitation were provided. Television sets are present for entertainment of prisoners and indoor games are also conducted. No information for the improvement of prisoners was provided.
23 prisoners are getting state’s legal aid.
No schemes for rehabilitation were provided. Television sets are present for entertainment of prisoners and indoor games are also conducted. No information for the improvement of prisoners was provided.
23 prisoners are getting state’s legal aid.
What Uttar Pradesh Jail Manual Says
1/3 district jail categories – There are 5 categories of
district jail
1st category : Normally 500+ prisoners
accommodation
2nd category : Normally 300-500 prisoners
accommodation
3rd category : Normally 150-300 prisoners
accommodation
4th category : 100-150 prisoners accommodation
5th category : Under 100 prisoners capacity.
¼ district Jails list. District jails are classified as given below :
1st class district jails : Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Badaun,
Etah, Faizabad, Fatehgarh, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Hardoi, Khiri,Lucknow, Meerat,
Muradabad, Rai Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, Kanpur, Unnav and Varanasi.
2nd class district jails : Azamgarh, Bahraich, Barabanki, Basti, Bijnour, Itawah, Fatehpur, Gazipur, Jaunpur, Mainpuri, Mathura, Pratapgarh, Rampur, Saharanpur, Sultanpur, Banda and Jhansi.
3rd class district jails : Bulandsheher, Deoriya, Hamirpur, Mirzapur, Muzzafarnagar and Urai.
4th class district jails : Almoda, Balia, Dehradun and Pilibheet.
5th class district jails : Nainitaal, Paudi and Tehri.
1/5 Juvenile Jails : One jail situated in Bareilly.
1/6 Arrest Jails : Administered by jail department, it is situated Gorukhpur. A subsidiary jail is situation in Gyanpur, Varanasi district.
Reservation of jails for different types of Prisoners
2/7 Category of criminals kept in central and district jails : Different kind of criminals kept in central and district jails are instated on following classification
Central Jail : Adult prisoners serving lifetime imprisonment or more than 7 years of jail time.
1st class
District Jail : Prisoners
serving more than 3 and less than 7 years of jail time.
2nd class District Jail : Prisoners serving more than 2 and less than 3 years of jail time.
3rd and 4th class District Jails : Prisoners serving more than 1 and less than 2 years of jail time.
2nd class District Jail : Prisoners serving more than 2 and less than 3 years of jail time.
3rd and 4th class District Jails : Prisoners serving more than 1 and less than 2 years of jail time.
2/8 Under trials of
district jail and ordinary Jail time serving Prisoners : Under trials, prisoners of district
court and prisoners serving ordinary jail time would be kept in their respective
district jails i.e. where their case is being processed.
2/9 Women Prisoners : There are no provisions made in district jails of Varanasi, Lucknow and Allahabad for accommodation of women prisoners. Women of these places would be kept in the respective central jails.
In central jails of Agra, Bareilly and Fatehgarh no provisions are made for women in central jails.
2/9 Women Prisoners : There are no provisions made in district jails of Varanasi, Lucknow and Allahabad for accommodation of women prisoners. Women of these places would be kept in the respective central jails.
In central jails of Agra, Bareilly and Fatehgarh no provisions are made for women in central jails.
2/10 Prisoners of
District Jails : Courts
should send prisoners of district jails directly to these locations based on
their district :
Bahraich to Gonda District Jail
Balia to Gazipur District Jail
Kanpur to Unnao District Jail
Dehradun to Saharanpur District Jail
Nainital to Bareilly District Jail
Sultanpur to Faizabad District Jail
Suggestions regarding Jail Improvement
1. Crowd should be reduced.
2. Proper psychiatric help should be provided to inmates.
3. Children of women prisoners of 3-6 years should be
properly taken care of.
4. Proper and practical rehabilitation schemes should be implemented for prisoners.
5. Marketing of products produced in jail and welfare schemes for jail workers.
6. Unity with other communities.
4. Proper and practical rehabilitation schemes should be implemented for prisoners.
5. Marketing of products produced in jail and welfare schemes for jail workers.
6. Unity with other communities.
7. Modern architecture for development of new prisons.
8. Training and welfare schemes for women prisoners.
9. Acknowledgement and working on issues like social
acceptance of acquitted prisoners.
10. Acceptance of an ideal jail model by every state/union territories.
10. Acceptance of an ideal jail model by every state/union territories.
11. Appointment of sufficient staff in jail.
12. Provisions for entertainment of prisoners.
13. Separate places for under trial and proven guilty
prisoners.
14. Linking prisoners with business studies and keeping them by their criminal tendencies.
15. Attention on cleanliness of jails and provisions for Yoga and Health should be made.
14. Linking prisoners with business studies and keeping them by their criminal tendencies.
15. Attention on cleanliness of jails and provisions for Yoga and Health should be made.
16. No. of cleaners in jail should be increased. A pathology
lab and ambulance should be available in jail.
17. Food is made to be cooked by prisoners themselves. It is
not possible for prisoners to cook food for 2-3 thousand inmates, hence cooks
should be appointed.
18. Because of availability of a single barber inmates roam as Romeos. Therefore more barbers should be appointed.
18. Because of availability of a single barber inmates roam as Romeos. Therefore more barbers should be appointed.
Ideal Jail establishment
1. An ideal jail
should be made at every divisional headquarter. Prisoners serving their time
there should get a chance of spending time with their family.
2. Male prisoners who have crossed the age of 60 and have served for more than 14 years and Women prisoners who have crossed the age of 50 and have served more than 7 years should be acquitted.
2. Male prisoners who have crossed the age of 60 and have served for more than 14 years and Women prisoners who have crossed the age of 50 and have served more than 7 years should be acquitted.
3. A medical officer should be appointed in each prison.
4. Prisoners should be kept in two divisions :
(i)- Habitual or
dangerous offenders.
(ii)- Normal or accidental criminals.
5.Prisoners should be given more chances of meeting their
family, sending mails and having the home cooked food.
6. Rules regarding parole should be softened and some
financial aid should be provided so that the inmates can establish themselves
back in society.
7. Under trial prisoners and proven guilty prisoners should be kept apart. Along with it provisions should be made to ensure that under trials spend lesser time in jail.
7. Under trial prisoners and proven guilty prisoners should be kept apart. Along with it provisions should be made to ensure that under trials spend lesser time in jail.
8. Adequate funding should be provided by state for proper
functioning of prisons.
This report has been created by Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) on condition of jails and prisoners by the information obtained through Right to Information Act, 2005.
This report has been created by Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) on condition of jails and prisoners by the information obtained through Right to Information Act, 2005.
(Translated by – Suryansh Srivastava)
No comments:
Post a Comment