Give social service duties to those sentenced to 6 months or 1 year’

Give social service duties to those sentenced to 6 months or 1 year’

Context

240 jails across the country are housing inmates 150% above their normal capacity.

What has happened?           

Criminals sentenced to imprisonment for six months or a year should be allocated social service duties rather than be put in already overflowing prisons, the Supreme Court advised the government on Tuesday.

Staff-prisoner ratio much worse in prisons

• Of about 77,000 sanctioned posts, 24500 lie vacant.
• Tamil Nadu and U.P. are some of the worst cases in prison staff-inmate ratio.
• Only about 5,000 prison staff monitor over 92,000 inmates in Uttar Pradesh.
• Tamil Nadu has about 4,000 prison staffers to monitor 13,000 prisoners.

No space for women prisoners

• There are 18 jails exclusively for women
• Plus there are separate areas for women in other jails, but there is complete disproportionality as far as space for women inmates are concerned.
• These jails were not modelled to house women inmates, especially those with minor children staying with them.

Plight of undertrial prisoners

• Sixty percent of those arrested need not be actually arrested.
• The police say there is no need for arrest, but they still do
• Again, half of those arrested, need not be remanded, but they are still remanded

Reforms suggested by the SC

• Open prisons: On September 15 last year, a Supreme Court judgment had encouraged the need for open prisons.
• Counsellors and support persons for prisoners: It had urged for steps like the appointment of counsellors and support persons for prisoners, particularly first-time offenders.
• More family visits: The apex court had suggested steps like more family visits for prisoners and use of phones and video-conferencing not only between a prisoner and family, but also his lawyers.
• Audit of prisons: It had directed the State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) to conduct a study and performance audit of prisons
• Board of visitors: It wanted the government to constitute a Board of Visitors to initiate prison reforms.