Hyderabad: Activists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) hope that the removal of restrictions on entry into jails will create a transformatory environment, leading to reduction in crime.
NGOs said that the restriction imposed by the Centre in 2015 on the entry into jails in the wake of the BBC documentary India’s Daughter, filmed by Leslee Udwin on the Delhi gang-rape, will ease with the apex court order.
The apex court recently directed all state governments to appoint counsellors for prisoners, particularly first-time offenders. The Supreme Court also directed governments to seek services of NGOs in this regard.
The apex court said that “the necessity of having counsellors and support staff in prisons cannot be over-emphasised.
“Their services can be utilised to advise prisoners who might be facing a crisis situation or might have suicidal tendencies.”
The bench felt that the constitution of a board of visitors with non-official visitors is important to rope in eminent members to participate in the jail reforms and rehabilitation of prisoners.
The bench pointed out that merely changing prisons into ‘correction homes’ will not solve the problem.
The bench said that proactive steps are required and directed the governments to constitute an board of visitors by November 30.
Focus on welfare of inmates
Fr. Sebastian Vadakumpadan, national coordinator of Prison Ministry, a Bengaluru-based NGO, said that despite the restrictions, they are managing to secure entry into prisons in the country except in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Welcoming the Supreme Court order, he said many governments are not focussing on the welfare of prisoners.
Stating that the Prison Ministry has been working for the past 31 years, he said that there was an urgent need to have support staff to handle the issues of prisoners.
Dr Mohammed Rafiuddin, director of the Hyderabad Council of Human Welfare, an NGO working for the welfare of underage prisoners, said that in western countries NGOs and social workers play a key role in reforming prisoners.
Fr. Sebastian said that overcrowding, understaffing, lack of adequate medical facilities, physical mistreatment result in custodial deaths.
He said that 1,584 deaths were reported in jails across the country in 2015 and 2016 and 1,115 were unnatural deaths.
