Hyderabad: Even though the state’s prison Department has launched many welfare schemes for the prison inmates but the overcrowding in Telangana jails is still a cause of great concern.
The shortage of staff is impending the separation of sentenced women’s prisoners and under trials.
According to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, there are 69% more prisoners than the capacity of the prisons. The prisons are suffering from a 33% staff shortage.
The CAG report referred to issues such as security lapses in Telangana prisons, basic needs of the prisoners, their health and medical care, reforms and rehabilitation, special probation, and the education system.
According to the CAG report, the state government had set up a committee to prepare a Prison manual in July 2016.
Though the manual draft was submitted to the government in September 2016 the government has not given its assent to it. This manual contains provisions for the welfare of the prisoners such as prisoner’s panchayat, Board of visitors, Prisoner’s skill development training, and rehabilitation.
There is a lack of employment opportunities and the remuneration paid is insufficient.
According to the Model Prison Manual (MPM), the excess number of prisoners has to be shifted to other institutions. But as per the said CAG report, the officials have no concrete plans in this regard.
In reply, DG (Prisons) has said that a proposal has been sent to the government for upgrading two district jails in Nizamabad and Sangareddy as Central prisons with an average inmate capacity of 1000. The state government said that this proposal is under consideration.
With regard to women prisoners, Mehboobnagar District Jail and Special Prison for Women are housing sentenced prisoners and undertrials in the same barrack.