CHANDIGARH: A recent study has revealed the dismal conditions of convicts and undertrials in Punjab jails due to overcrowding, resulting in 70 per cent of inmates suffering from skin diseases.
Conducted in all state prisons by IIM-Ahmedabad, the report has been submitted to the state government. It states that 26 jails in Punjab have a total capacity of 21,263 prisoners, but 23,610 inmates are lodged in them. The nine Central Jails in the state have a capacity of 15,762 inmates, but house 17,188 prisoners. In the six District Jails, 3,756 people are lodged, much more than the 3,381 it can hold. The only maximum security Nabha Jail can hold 462 inmates, but 1,170 prisoners are packed into it.
Seven sub-jails, which have a capacity of 788, have 903 people lodged in them. Fifty prisoners can be housed in Nabha Open Jail, which holds 70. The only prisons that are not crowded are Borstal School Jail and Women’s Jail, says the report.
To overcome overcrowding, the report recommends amending Section 273 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure, 1973, to allow trial and bail hearings of hardened criminals through video conferencing. It also suggests speedy trials and amending the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958, making community service mandatory for prisoners with less than six-month sentence.
It also recommends shutting down Dasuya, Phagwara and Malerkotla jails as they are too small to warrant high overheads. Inmates here can be shifted to Amritsar, Kapurthala and to a new jail in Nabha. Also, it recommends upgrade of sub-jail in Patti to a District Jail, and speeding up construction of Central Jails in Amritsar and Bathinda.
The massive overcrowding results in diseases such as scabies, hypertension, hernia, kidney stones and diabetes breaking out among inmates due to unhygienic conditions. Skin diseases are on the rise because of sharing of quilts and blankets. The prisons lack basic facilities such as washrooms and toilets, the report states. To counter this, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should be promoted in the jails, like it is being done in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Also, a three-meal system should replace the two meals each day.
It adds that vandalism is common in prisons, and inmates form groups, resulting in fights. Prison escapes and custodial deaths are common. “We have forwarded the report to the state government and will be taking corrective steps to plug discrepancies pointed out,” said Additional Director General of Police (Prisons), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav.