With a caveat, Model Jail in Burail extends its phone booth facility

With this facility, prisoners can talk to their family members twice a week for five minutes each time. The first call is allowed free of cost and for the second call Re 1 is charged per minute from the inmate. The whole conversation between the prisoner and family member is recorded in the system. An inmate can save two contact numbers of his/her close relative/counsellor, the IG Prisons said.

According to the jail authorities, the call is allowed only after biometric identification by the calling booth and the call gets disconnected automatically after 6 minutes.

The inmates have to provide the copy of the bill in case of a postpaid number and copy of client application form (CAF)/Client Information Form (CIF) from the concerned service provider in case of a prepaid number.

The schedule of calling is in alphabetical order of name of inmate, which is, prisoners naming from letters ‘A to J’ can access the facility on Saturday and Wednesday; ‘K to R’ can make a call on Monday and Thursday, and those whose names start from ‘S to Z’ can access the calling facility on Wednesday and Friday.

Meanwhile, a warning has been given to the inmates that if a mobile phone is found from their barrack, the STD facility will be disconnected. “With this warning, we are trying to curb the issue of mobile phones in prison. As those who regularly use the STD service, will themselves inform the jail authorities if any of the barrack member has a mobile phone,” the IG Prisons added.

The inmates, meanwhile, have told the jail authorities on extending the time of usage of STD phone facility, and adding Sunday in the schedule, as stating that most of their family relatives are free on this day to talk.