Need to change how prisons seen in our society. Not every prisoner is a criminal by nature: Amit Shah

“There is a need to make jails modern, technologically adept with stringent security measures and introduce better living and health facilities for prisoners, libraries, and training programmes for them to help them get back to society and initiatives to promote mental development. It is very important that the states give a lot of value to prisons and for that, the Modi government in 2016 introduced the ‘Model Prison Manual’ to replace the existing prison manual after a lot of discussion on these aspects. Only 11 states and Centre-administered Union territories have adopted the new manual and I urge the other states to accept the new manual without any delay for prison reforms in their respective states,” said Shah.

In the new manual, Shah said, the government considered many important points such as the human rights of prisoners, the relocation of prisoners back into society, rights of female prisoners, laws for prison inspection, the right to education even for death row convicts, among others.

“I would also urge the states to introduce the facility of video conferencing for courts in at least every district jail. The new manual also has provisions to stop gangs in jail and keep those involved in radicalisation or those involved in narcotics cases in separate areas in jail. After the jail model, we are also in talks with states to introduce a model act for a prison system which will bring changes to the act made by the British and I am confident that within the next six months, we will be able to bring the act to the table,” said Shah.

Amit Shah said that not everyone jailed today is criminal by nature but is languishing due to his or her circumstances.

“There is a need to change the view with which prisons are seen in our society. Not every prisoner is a criminal by nature. Many times, some incidents happen, and they get involved in various criminal acts and subsequently get punished for them. For a society to be fit and fine, the clause of punishment is important. If there is no punishment, then there will be no fear and if there is no fear, there will not be any discipline and without discipline, we cannot imagine a healthy society. Punishment is necessary for society. However, it is the responsibility of the jail administration to ensure that jails become a medium for such people who are not ‘born criminals’ or ‘criminals by nature’ to get back to society.”

“Of those who are convicted, 90 per cent of them are those who return to society and it is very important. I am not saying this from a humanitarian point but this is also very important from a law-and-order perspective,” said Shah.

He said that the prison system in India is a neglected area prone to abuse because it was made by the British to subjugate political prisoners back in the day.

“Jails and prisons in India were a neglected area. There are many states in India where jails are still functioning in the manner in which they were made by the British. Back in the British regime, a majority of people sent to jails were political prisoners and torture became a tool for the British to maintain their regime. There is a need for revaluation of our viewpoint of jails,” added Shah.