Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): To introduce reforms and other basic facilities in prisons of state, the jail department is working on Madhya Pradesh Correctional Services and Prisons Bill 2024. Rules are being framed for the bill and a committee has been constituted to look into different subjects.
The bill is scheduled to be tabled in the upcoming Assembly Monsoon Session and on getting the approval, it will become an Act.
Secretary (jail) Lalit Dahima told Free Press, "We are working to frame the rules for Madhya Pradesh Corrective Services and Prisons Bill."
Sources in the jail department told Free Press that the bill seeks to make jails hitech ensuring security with electric fencing. Moreover, there is provision to construct even the Judge's chamber inside jails so that hearing could be facilitated on need.
The bill also entails rehabilitation of the released prisoner. It would ensure that prisoners are given technical training and other employment generating training to make a skilled person so that they are able to earn their livelihood when they step out of the jail. The new jails will be constructed to cater to the demand of the next 25 years.
It is learnt that the bill may propose some more corrective measures which will prove a milestone in jail reforms.
To prepare the bill, the jail department had sent a team to other states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana to study their jail model.Jail officer Dinesh Nargawe is coordinating in preparation of the rules of MP Corrective Services and Prisons Bill.
A senior officer of the department said that the Central government had sent a letter to all state governments to adopt the Modern Prisoners Act and accordingly the work is being done in Madhya Pradesh.
As of now, Madhya Pradesh has eleven central jails, 41 district jails, 73 sub jails and seven open jails. The capacity of jails in the state is to accommodate around 30,000 prisoners, however, †currently these facilities are housing around 48,000 jail inmates.
Open jail
It is also learnt that the bill may have the provision to introduce some more open jails in the state. As of now, there are seven open jails and they are based in Narmadapuram, Indore, Bhopal, Sagar, Satna and Jabalpur.
