Jail reforms launched in Telangana State

Prison headquarters have appointed an officer to monitor inmates after release and to rehabilitate them. The duration for jail inmates to talk to their family on the phone has also been doubled. The new measures were taken following the continuous deaths of prisoners, higher officials said.

“Orders were issued to reduce administrative charges from 10% to 5% on canteen items for prisoners. In order to reduce deaths a master health check-up has been made mandatory for all convicts and undertrials who stay for more than seven days in jails,” said jail DG V.K. Singh.

“Prisoners who are terminally ill will be helped to secure bail by the prisons department so that they can go back to their families. Some prisoners have already been bailed out through this initiative. Now, prisoners can talk to their families on the phone for 10 minutes every week while it was only five minutes earlier,” said a higher official.

“Loans will be given to prisoners who have been sentenced to undergo more than five years imprisonment. This loan will be deducted from their earnings in jail,” the officer added.

The officials said that once a person finishes his punishment and comes out of jail, officers will explore possibilities and ways to rehabilitate him. Sports meets, cultural programmes, lectures by eminent speakers and spiritual personalities are being organised to create an atmosphere for change among the prisoners and to reform them. Smart kiosks have also been installed at jails so that prisoners can know the status of their visitors every week.