Reforms in jails/prison department by Punjab Government

Last Updated: 21 Jan 2025

National Problem[1]

Overcrowding: The national average occupancy rate in prisons across India is 130%
Undertrials: 70+% of the prisoners are undertrials. So judicial reforms can help handle this

AAP Initiatives for the long pending reforms

-- Advanced jammers: ‘V-Kavach’ jammers being installed
-- Full Body Scanners: Tenders already done
-- Conjugal visits: 1st state in India to allow
-- Drug/Health Screening for all prisoners
-- Hiring new forces and Infra upgrade

Jail reforms by Punjab Govt

1. Advanced Jammers[2]

  • Punjab government is installing V-Kavach jammers in jails
  • V-Kavach jammers are being installed across 13 sensitive jails[3]
    • Central Govt Nod has already been received with Punjab HC assistance for 9 jails, other 4 pending[4]
  • V-Kavach jammers can be used for anti-IED, anti-drone, anti-cellular system and electronics jamming
  • They create an electromagnetic bubble preventing phones or IEDs or bombs from sending and receiving radio signals. This cuts off the phone/bomb’s main communication line

Prison calling system[5]

  • The PICS (prison inmates calling facility) has been augmented
  • 750+ inmate calling systems are being installed[3:1]

2. Full Body & X-Ray Baggage Scanners[6]

598 X-ray and other security machines installed[4:1]

  • Inmates hide keypad phones & other prohibited items in their body’s cavities

  • Process of equipping all 13 sensitive jails with Body scanners is on

  • Scanners capable of reliable detection including

    • Inside body cavity
    • Swallowed inside the body
    • Radioactive material hidden inside the clothes or body

  • Scanners to detect mobile phones, knives, lighter etc

    • Metallic and nonmetallic articles
    • Weapons
    • Narcotics and other contrabands objects

3. CCTVs being installed[5:1]

647 individual CCTV cameras – referred to as 'camera strands' – have been strategically installed

  • The CCTV cameras are also being installed in 7 out of 13 sensitive jails
  • The cameras would be installed in 6 more jails
  • The process would be completed by February 2025

4. Iron mesh and golf net on the boundary wall[7]

  • The tenders to install iron mesh and golf net have already been floated
  • Menace of “Fenka” i.e. throwing mobile phones and other prohibited material inside the high-security jail
  • Miscreants throw cellphones, cigarettes and mobile charging cables from vulnerable spots in the midnight

5. NEW High Security Jail to avoid Inter-mixing

6. Hiring for strenthening Force

  • 738 warders and 25 matrons have joined already[3:2]
  • Additional 13 DSPs, 175 wardens and 4 matrons to be recruited soon[8]
  • Revival of additional 1,220 posts across various cadres[3:3]

7. Bail money by Govt for Poor undertrials[1:1]

Many Poor jail inmates are unable to pay for their bail bonds or fine imposed despite securing bail or completing their sentence

Prison administrations spend more money on keeping undertrials inside jails than the bail money required for their release

Empowered committees have been formed at district levels to verify such cases & provide monetary aid[9]

  • Monetary help up to Rs 40,000 can be released by the District committee
  • Above Rs 40,000 case is required would be sent to the state-level committee

8. Conjugal visits[10]

Punjab became the 1st in India to allow prisoners conjugal visits since September 2022

In 2018, the Madras High Court judges even went to the extent of saying that conjugal visits were "a right and not a privilege"

  • Inmates who exhibited good conduct would be allowed visits from their spouses for 2 hours every 2 months
  • Starting with 3 of the state's 25 jails on 20 September 2022, the scheme was expanded to cover 17 prisons by 3 October 2022
  • Many countries, such as Russia, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Philippines, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Denmark, and some US states allow conjugal visits. Brazil and Israel even allow same-sex partners
  • The scheme also specifies the categories of prisoners who are not allowed conjugal visits. They include:
    • High-risk prisoners, gangsters and terrorists
    • Those jailed for child abuse, sexual crimes or domestic violence
    • Prisoners suffering from infectious disease like tuberculosis, HIV or sexually transmitted diseases unless cleared by the prison doctor
    • Those who haven't been carrying out their duties properly for the past three months
    • Those who haven't shown good conduct and discipline, as determined by the superintendent.

The men arrested for the Moosewala murder are not eligible for conjugal visits since they are gangsters

9. Investigation in violations[11]

  • Punjab Govt constituted a SIT (Special Investigating Team) to probe into instances of sneaking of mobile phones and other prohibited material inside the high-security Amritsar Jail

10. Drug Screening across all prisons

  • State-wide drug screening drive project aims to make prisons free of illegal drugs
  • Provide provisions for inmates who have fallen prey to drugs, to undergo de-addiction treatment and get rehabilitated

11. Health Check-up

  • State-level screening campaign of a comprehensive health check-up for prisoners across 25 jails in Punjab is being done.

12. Judicial Reforms


REFERENCES:

  1. https://prsindia.org/policy/report-summaries/prison-conditions-infrastructure-and-reforms ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/mha-gives-nod-hi-tech-jammers-to-be-installed-in-punjab-jails-101733858481801.html ↩︎

  3. https://yespunjab.com/security-fortified-in-punjab-prisons-laljit-singh-bhullar/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/punjab-govt-strengthens-prison-security-with-advanced-surveillance-systems-v-kavach-jammers/ ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/jail-security-infra-hc-summons-md-of-punjab-police-housing-corporation-101734376256427.html ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-govt-floats-tenders-install-full-body-scanners-jails-9141830/ ↩︎

  7. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/body-scanners-iron-mesh-to-be-installed-at-amritsar-central-jail/ ↩︎

  8. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/highsecurity-jail-to-be-built-near-ludhiana-says-jail-minister-bhullar-101731614616683.html ↩︎

  9. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/108447408.cms ↩︎

  10. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-63327632 ↩︎

  11. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/amritsar/spl-team-to-probe-cases-of-sneaking-mobiles-inside-jail-594624 ↩︎