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News
Updates
USA : More than hundreds of mentally ill offenders are executed
in US, since executions resumed in 1977. Dozens of these people
had histories of serious mental impairment, either from before the
crimes for which they were convicted, or at the time of their execution.
Click here
for details. (31/01/2006)
Vietnam: Nguyen Khac Toan a former soldier, maths teacher
and businessman was jailed for emailing details of farmers' protests
about official corruption and land confiscation to the overseas
Vietnamese groups. He was arrested in January 2002, charged with
"spying" and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and three
years' house arrest after his release. He was released on 24th January
to mark the lunar day. Click here
for details. (26/01/2006)
India: An Indian man
Machang Lalung from Silsang, Assam spent more than 50 years in jail
without trial. Seventy-seven years old Machang Lalung was arrested
in 1951 and was booked for "causing grievous hurt". The
offence normally results in 10 years imprisonment but the Police
said there was no evidence to support the allegation. Now the Supreme
Court has awarded 300,000 rupees compensation to Machang Lalung
for 50-years jail error. Click here
for details. (11/01/2006)
India: President A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam has asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
to give him a list of Sikhs who have been languishing without trial
in cells in foreign countries after being duped by travel agents.
Many youths from the Sikh community are in foreign jails without
trial. Click here
for details. (3/01/2006)
Prison Visiting System: Changes proposed
in rules relating to the appointment and guidance to Prison Visitors.
The amended rules cited at this page were drafted by CHRI consultant
for custodial institutions to replace the existing rules in the
state of Rajasthan but since the rules governing the appointment
and guidance of prison visitors are more less the same, this draft
amendment can be used by the other states for the base of changes
in their prison rules with regard to prison visiting system. Click
here
for details.
Prison Act 1894: The Proposed Draft Bill to replace the
existing Prisons Act 1894.
This draft bill was proposed for the state of Rajasthan only but
this draft can be used by other states to enact similar bill for
their respective states. Click here
for details.
22/8/2005: One of our Prison Unit members had attended a District
Judges Conference held in Visakapatnam on 22nd august 2005, where
in he proposed about various measures that can be taken by judiciary
to improvise the justice delivery to the prisoners. The measures
proposed were-:
- To establish Legal Cell in the prison as per
proceeding of State Legal Service Authority, ROC No. 818/LSA/2001,
dated 02-02-2001.
- To establish Prisoners Grievance Deposit Boxes
in the CP, VSK, to be opened exclusively by Dist Sessions as per
Sunil Batra II v/s Delhi Administration, 1980 (3) Supreme
Court Cases 521.
- The Courts should send bail orders in Duplicate
to the prisons and the second copy should contain the acknowledgement
of the prisoners having received the copy of the order.
- To organize regular Jail Adalats in the prison
so as to dispose the cases as fast as possible.
The
Judges and District Principal Judge highly appreciated all these
measures. They further issued series of circulars and they have
also opened a Legal Cell in the prison with the help of an NGO named
Mahila Chaitanya Sravanthi.
CHRI has submitted a report on the "Study
of Women in Custodial Establisments" in the states of Madhya
Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu assigned by the National Commission for Women to Smt. Girija
Vyas, Chairperson of the Commission on April 15, 2005.
Madhya Pradesh, India:
Prisoners
are a condemned lot and the tiny cells and harsh prison conditions
that houses them condemns them twice. However the Bhopal Central
Jail in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh proved it untrue
after it became the first jail in the world to get the ISO 9001-2000
certificate. Click here
for details.(29/6/2004)
Bangladesh :
Overcrowding,
unhygienic living conditions and scarcity of water supply in the
Dhaka Central Jail expose the inmates to various diseases like tuberculosis,
jaundice, peptic ulcer, diarrhoea, heart disease,and skin related
diseases etc. Having a capacity of 2,650, it currently houses more
than 11,000 prisoners including both convicts and undertrials. On
an average 500 inmates visit hospitals everyday. The hospital is
ill equipped with four doctors and a single nurse to attend to the
patients every day and not a single gynaecologist is present to
attend to the 300 odd female prisoners. Click here
for details. (12/04/04)
Rajasthan :
In
Rajasthan, once again five undertrial prisoners escaped after cutting
through the iron bars of the cell in Nimbaheda sub-jail of district
Chittorgarh. Click here
for details. (12/04/04)
Kerala :
- In the Kenner Central Jail of Kerala, a clash
broke out between the two groups of inmates belonging to rival
political parties CPI(M) and BJP killing one inmate of CPI(M)
and injuring two others. Jail authorities said that a group of
inmates belonging to BJP attacked their rivals of CPI(M) with
iron rods near the prison canteen at Block 7. Click here
for details. (7/04/04)
- In Kerala, the leader of the Opposition, Mr V.S.Achuthanandan
and the CPI(M) State Secretary, Mr Pinarayi Vijayan demanded the
Government to conduct a judicial inquiry into the clash that took
place in Kannur Central Jail killing one inmate belonging to CPI(M)
and injuring two others. They said that the Government should
bear full responsibility for such a gruesome act and demanded
to take stern action against the attackers. Mr Achuthanandan accused
the jail officials saying that weapons used by the RSS elements
could not be brought into jail without the knowledge of the jail
officials and further said that despite being witnesses to the
attack, jail authorities didn't intervene. The BJP State President
also demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident while strongly
protesting against the discrimination taking place between the
prisoners. Click here
for details. (8/04/04)
- The State President, Janata Dal (Secular) sought
a judicial probe into the incident that took place in Kannur Central
Jail accusing the jail authorities that the weapons used by the
attackers could not be brought inside the jail premises in the
absence of the authorities. He expressed resentment on the lapse
of security within the jail premises. Click here
for details. (12/04/04)
- The Government of Kerala has reconstituted the
State Prison Review Commission appointing retired High Court Judge,
M.R.Hariharan Nair as the Chairman. The Committee will consider
cases relating to life convicts and the recommendations made by
the Committee will be put forth to the Government. Click here
for details. (12/04/04)
Bangladesh :
-
In one and a half years the
Government has implemented 25 decisions proposed by the Cabinet
Committee on Jail Reform. Another 23 decisions are in the process
of implementation. Annexes to certain jails have already been
built and the Government has set up six safe housing centers
for women inmates and their children in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Jessore,
Khulna, Sylhet and Chittagong. Click here
for details.(05/04/04)
-
In Bangladesh, over 11, 000
inmates detainees and convicts, including 250 women, have been
lodged in the oldest prison in Bangladesh. 11,000 inmates have
been lodged in a jail with a capacity of 2,650 inmates, housing
four times its capacity. One detainee, released on bail disclosed
that there is no proper drainage system and the building is
in a dilapidated condition, despite the existence of recommendations
made by the Jail Reform Commission. An unidentified Home Ministry
official has expressed that the government has provided additional
space for 400 inmates in different jails over the last two years,
and even if the Government implements other plans to increase
the capacity of the jails only 2500 inmates will get space.
Click here
for details.(05/04/04)
-
In B'baria jail of Bangladesh,
7 seven teenaged boys have been lodged violating a jail rule
that provides teenagers shall be lodged only in a juvenile correction
centre.Click here
for details. (23/03/04)
Jail Breaks In Rajasthan, India:
Stories
of shocking Tihar jail breaks have not withered away yet. In Rajasthan,
thirteen prisoners of Deeg prison escaped with a rifle after beating
the jail guards. Such incidents show the serious problems cropping
up in jail administration due to paucity of staff. Click here
for details. (22/03/04)
Prisoners without trials rot in Bangladesh :
Some
7800 inmates remain lodged in the various prisons all over Bangladesh
without ever undergoing their trials. Locked on a number of charges
ranging from suspicious movement, theft to disturbance of peace,
they lie rotting in the corners of the prisons. Law Officials lay
the blame on the lack of the governments interest in reforms and
efficient trial, while the open truth lies in the fact that whenever
the crime rate in the country increases the police tend to pick
up near to all the poor people and lock them behind bars. The inefficiency
in the network and improper co-ordination have led to such a grim
situation. The litigation process is stagnant and by the time one
is sentenced, he or she is already spent more time in the prison
than the amount of punishment. Click here
for details. (17/03/04)
Malaysia prisoners launch protest :
Forty
three prisoners in a Malaysia detention center went on a hunger
strike to protest the unfair way of being held without a trial or
charge. The hunger strikers claimed that they were wrongly indicted
and held wrongly and accused for being in terms with a Malaysia
terrorist group, the Malaysia Muhahideen. All are protesting against
their detention, which under Malaysia's Internal Security Act, can
be extended indefinitely without charges being brought. Click here
for details. (2/03/04)
Prisoners face new death sentence in South Africa :
Even
after the abolition of the death sentence in South Africa, many
prisoners feel otherwise. The ever increasing rate of HIV cases
within the premises of the prisons have a new story to tell. Cases
of rape in the jails are on an alarming rise and the effort eradicate
this menace minimal. The lack of both efficient staff and separate
accommodation for convicts and undertrials have been the root cause
of the circumstance. The government's weak stand on prison support
has led to deterioration of the conditions. These circumstances
have led the prisoner to believe that the death penalty still does
stay in effect. In a recent report on the Cookham wood prison in
Rochester, the papers submitted did contain a number of corners
where the prison lacked in efficiency and effectiveness. Click here
for details. (17/02/04)
40000 detainees await trail in prisons in Nigeria :
Out
of the 40000 prisoners in Nigeria, Lagos and Ogun states comprise
for the largest number of detainees awaiting a trail. 10000 inmates
in Lagos and Ogun states are using the facility of 5,000 inmates.
The Ogun state prison houses more than twice the capacity of prisoners
and harassment by the staff within the confines of the building
are severe. Spread of diseases like Aids and tuberculosis were evident.
An assistant comptroller of prisons Mr. Kumolu said that situations
would only improve when the government gives a serious thought to
the situation. Click here
for details. (15/01/04)
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