Jails in Uttar Pradesh will now be known as ‘reform homes’ after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to prepare a new Prisons Act.
The Jail Act 1894 and the Prisoners Act 1900 were in effect since the pre-independence days but many of their provisions were not compatible with the changing environment and reformative ideology of prisoners’ rehabilitation, he said.
He also asked officials to prepare a proposal to set up open jails in the state as part of prison reforms. High-security barracks will be made for hardened criminals and terrorists, Yogi added.
Technology should be used to bring transparency in the working of the prison administration, he said.
“The purpose of the Jail Act 1894 is to keep the criminals in custody in a disciplined manner, but we have to focus on reformation and rehabilitation. In such a situation, keeping the future in view, we need to implement new Act,” the Chief Minister said.
The state cabinet recently approved a new jail manual. Over 4,200 CCTV cameras are installed in the jails, he said.
Drone cameras should be integrated with the video wall and monitored.
The Chief Minister added that the Model Prison Act 2023 has recently been prepared by the government of India.
“This Model Act is very useful in keeping reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners in view,” he added.
“Establishment of an ‘open jail’ can prove to be beneficial. Currently, there is a semi-open jail operational in Lucknow, formal proposal for the establishment of an open jail is underway,” he said.
“We have to set up prisons as ‘reform homes’. Every necessary step should be taken for this purpose. Arrangements like security assessment of prisoners, grievance redressal, Prison Development Board, change in behaviour towards prisoners and provision of separate accommodation for women prisoners and transgenders should be implemented.”
Yogi has directed jail officials to enforce the provisions of harshest punishment for the use of banned items like mobile phones in prisons.
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