The Inspector General of
Prison honored Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (#PVCHR) for its
outstanding work with the inmates on 26th January 2020. We with the
support from Parul Sharma and 200 Swedish donors distributed distributed 50
inner wear, woolen cap and socks to male inmates on 8th January,
2020 and 97 cardigan and 50 socks to female inmates on in District #Jail, #Varanasi.
It is not the first time but since
our inception we are tirelessly working to ensure the rights of the inmates and
also for the prison reform. In April, 2011 we in consultation with member organization of
NATT officially launched
detention watch to monitor any type of
detention happening with the adult and children in Judicial Custody, Police
Custody, Custody in Remand Home and Administrative Custody to strengthen and
expansion of its previous work of PVCHR for focusing on rights
of prisoners and rights during the times of detention.
The jails and prisons of Uttar Pradesh, one of India’s poorest
and most populous states, are some of country’s most overcrowded, with an
occupancy rate of 172 percent compared with the nationwide rate of 112 percent,
according to jail administration official R.K. Dwivedi. https://apnews.com/
In 2013 we intervened with National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC), New Delhi regarding over crowding and release
of inmates.
Kindly refer to your letter dates 21.09.2013 in regard
with the status of overcrowding in prisons in Uttar Pradesh.
2- In reference to the above it has to be informed to
you that there are 66 prisons under operation in the state where 48970
prisoners are lodged against a total capacity of 8428 which is 172 per cent.
For the problem of over crowing in prisons construction of prisons in districts
that do not have prisons, additional barracks in present prisons and legal
assistance is being provided to those prisoners lodged in prisons under section
436(A) and 436 (1). The details are as follows:
(1)
The districts
where there are no prisons - Kasganj,
Chitrakoot, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ambadkernagar, Shrawasti, bagpat, Sonbhadra,
bareilly, Azamgarh – prisons are being constructed which shall increase
capacity for 11326 prisoners. Apart from this increase in number of barracks is
underway in different prisons, which shall increase the capacity by 1120.
(2)
Under the
CRPc Section 436 (A) and 436 (1) legal assistance is being provides to
identified prisoners and their case is being presented before the court. In the
year 2013 the total number of such identified prisoners under section 436 (A)
and 436 (1) was 2609 and out of these 200 were set free after legal process.
Those identified under bailable section 436 (1) 22937 and out of these 19281
could get free.
The strategy of the
detention watch are as follows: 1.Policy
to practice and
2. Practice to
Policy.
Our strategic actions are
as follows which is based on previous experience:
2. Meta- Legal Intervention: With various
concerned authorities and National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi.
3. Rehabilitation of the
acquitted prisoners.
4. Policy level intervention for prison reform,
advocating for the implementation of various recommendations by the committee
and intervention on the trial procedures.
5. Monitoring the prison and homes
through using of Right to Information Act – to know actual knowledge condition
of the prisons.
6. Visit to juvenile home and visit to correction
home for women in collaboration with QIC-AC network.
7. Tracking the cases of custodial death, torture
in police custody, administrative custody and homes through various site
alerts.
