BHUBANESWAR: Recognising the importance of learning in jails which is a key to reducing crimes, the Directorate of Prisons and Correctional Services has asked all its superintendents to connect with Department of Education, the National Institute of Open Schooling, open university and other approved academic institutions to obtain educational materials for inmates.
As per the model jail manual, it is the primary responsibility of the prison superintendent and prison welfare officer to implement educational programmes in prisons. “The programme should consist of physical, vocational and health education and it should be carried out by teachers, NGOs and educated inmates,” said DG Prisons Santosh Kumar Upadhyay in a circular to all jail superintendents.
He also asked them to coordinate with the departments and institutions concerned to obtain donated books and educational materials for the inmates. In another development, Upadhyay directed the jail superintendents to coordinate with District Legal Services Authority and Taluk Legal Services Authority for effective functioning of legal aid clinics.