BHUBANESWAR: Birth certificate of a child born in a jail can no more mention the prison as birthplace. This would help remove the social stigma the child carries throughout his life, according to the Odisha Model Jail Manual 2020.
The manual which has come into effect in Odisha also mandates establishment of proper pre and antenatal care, creche and nursery school in jails among other reform measures. After 78 years, the State has formulated a new manual, the last one being in 1942.
Under the new manual, prison administration will have to ensure prisoner’s right is respected. There will be separation of different categories of inmates such as civil, under-trials, women, convicts, high security prisoners, young, first and habitual offenders as well as transgenders, said Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services, Santosh Kumar Upadhyay.
Similarly, close prisons have been classified into three categories - circle jail, district jail and sub-jails and the authorised population of these facilities is set at 1,000, 500 and 300 prisoners respectively.
This apart, the new manual mentions that one guard staff will be deployed for every six prisoners while all prisons should have their own mechanised laundry.
There will be treatment facility for drug addicts, prisoners must get treatment outside jail hospitals and if required in other States. New convicts will be provided with reasonable facilities to see or communicate with relatives and friends.
The manual has also said that the period of escape, bail, parole and extradition will not be counted towards sentences.
Education policy for prisoners, library facilities, prison industries and work programmes, vocational training, sales counter for jail products, legal aid clinic, constitution of under-trial review committee, counseling for prisoners, yoga and cultural activities, canteen facilities, list of prohibited articles and duties of prisoners have also been mentioned in the manual.
The jail manual of 1942 had some extra chapters and 16 of them have been retained in the new manual which has 48 chapters.
Earlier, the Centre had directed uniformity among all States and Union Territories on procedures to be adopted for jail administration and correctional services.
“Bureau of Police Research and Development had prescribed a model prison manual in 2016 by incorporating various provisions basing on different decisions of the Supreme Court and guidelines of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) related to children and women, legal aid to prisoners, and others,” Upadhyay said.
Accordingly, a draft jail manual was prepared on the recommended 32 chapters to cater the needs of Odisha which were vetted by the Government in Law Department, he added.
NEW MANUAL
Mandates establishment of proper pre and antenatal care, creche and nursery school in jails
Separation of different categories of inmates such as civil, under-trials, women, convicts, high security prisoners, young, first and habitual offenders as well as transgenders
One guard staff will be deployed for every six prisoners
All prisons should have their own mechanised laundry