Tamil Nadu: After 3-month hiatus, visitors can now once again meet jail inmates

Based on requests from friends and families of inmates to resume physical meetings and taking into consideration the decline in the number of Covid-19 cases, Sunil Kumar Singh, Director General, Prisons and Correctional Services, issued directions to all superintendent of prisons to resume meetings with some restrictions.

As per the new guidelines, visitors have to either be fully-vaccinated or produce negative certificates for RT-PCR tests taken within 72 hours.

Relatives and friends have to book for an interview in advance through ePrisons visitors Management System or telephone at least 24 hours prior to the meeting and have to arrive 30 minutes before the time allotted to them.

“Maximum two visitors will be allowed at a time during the interviews and each prisoner will be granted the same once in 15 days,” the release said. It also mentioned interviews can be for a maximum of 15 minutes and visitors will have to wear face masks and will be allowed only after proper thermal screening and sanitisation.

Further, it was said that the meets can take place only between 9am and 2pm on all days except Saturdays, Sundays, and gazetted holidays. Forms for requesting interviews can be downloaded at http://www.prisons.tn.gov.in.