Govt mulls over master plan for positive reforms in prisons

For better: A committee to study jails in foreign countries

Talking to reporters after a review meeting of the department’s programmes, he said a committee would be constituted to study various models of prisons in different countries.

The department wants to come out with a best model suited to the local requirements.
He said various options were being explored in order to developing an open jail on the model of Devanahalli jail, as a solution to over crowded prisons.

“There is a proposal to establish open jails with adequate security and shelter in all divisions,” he said. The Minister said the open jail at Devanahalli hosted to about 42 inmates. The prisons are paying the inmates Rs 20 as coolie per day for work they do inside the jail.

In this way, they could also support their families staying within the jail. The objective of the open jail is to bring reforms in inmates and support their families through providing work to inmates.

Earlier, speaking at Belur, he said the department would come out with a new list of inmates who could be released on humanitarian basis.

 “The department had sent a list of 596 inmates from various jails across State to the Governor’s office for their release. However, there was a lapse on part of the department as many ineligible inmates were also included and the list was prepared without the consultative committee holding a meeting.

The officials are asked to prepare a fresh list of inmates those who have served a minimum of seven years imprisonment and showed good behaviour, women inmates who have crossed 60 years and men who crossed 65 years of age,” he added.

Narayanaswamy said the department would do all efforts to prepare the list and work towards the release of such prisoners by the end of December. To a query, he said all prisons would have jammers to check mobile phones from being used within the premises.

The department is also mulling over effective measures to check drug peddling inside jails, he stated.