JAIL MAIL: PRISONS AND PARLIAMENT - BUDGET SESSION 2018

This newsletter is in continuation of our earlier Jail Mail (view here) on questions asked in the 2017-18 Winter Session of the Parliament. You may recollect that in that session, which was held in July-August 2017, the Members of Parliament asked 16 questions relating to prisons and prisoners.

Guide for Prison Officers Refugees & Asylum Seekers

Asylum Seekers and refugees often get detained for lack of proper knowledge and the ambiguity of existing law with regard to their protection in India. This guidebook provides pertinent information for prison officers on laws and provisions governing their stay, detention and determination of status in India. At present this guidebook is available in Bengali.

A Basic guide - Defending Asylum Seekers in Detention (Bengali)

This pamphlet is a basic guide on defending asylum seekers in detention. It addresses the issue lawyers may face in demarcating between Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Economic Migrants. It further describes the legal framework available in India.

Monitoring the Monitors – A Micro Study on Monitoring Committees in West Bengal

National Legal Services Authorities (Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010 mandates the setup of Monitoring Committees in legal service institutions across India. This oversight body 'Monitoring Committees' are mandated to oversee legal aid delivery and regularly review the working of legal aid lawyers.

A Basic guide - Defending Asylum Seekers in Detention

"This pamphlet is a basic guide on defending asylum seekers in detention. It addresses the issue lawyers may face in demarcating between Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Economic Migrants. It further describes the legal framework available in India.

Flyer -Undertrial Review Committee

Prisons in India are chronically overcrowded. Sixty-seven percent of the prison population comprises undertrials – those who are awaiting or undergoing trial and not yet proven guilty. This needs repair and Under Trial Review Committee (UTRC) is one oversight mechanism which can address this.

Flyer -Legal Aid For Persons in Custody in India

71 percent of the prison population in India is either illiterate or educated below high school. Over 67 percent of these prisoners are undertrials and may continue to be held in overcrowded prisons for years. Poor public defense and under-utilization of non-custodial measures are one of the primary causes for these prolonged detentions.

JAIL MAIL: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: SPOTLIGHT ON WOMEN PRISONERS

On this Women’s Day, CHRI, through this Jail Mail commends the initiatives by Parliament, particularly the Committee on the Empowerment of Women to conduct studies on women in detention. The Jail Mail shares the recommendations of the committee and also a fact sheet titled ' Women Behind Bars'.

JAIL MAIL: Beyond Prison Walls – Conversation on Prisoners’ Rights

CHRI, in collaboration with Tihar Prisons, Bureau of Police Research & Development and Delhi School of Social Work,  organized a one-day seminar, ‘Beyond Prison Walls – Conversation on Prisoners’ Rights’ for prison inmates to freely interact with the justice system functionaries.

BEYOND PRISON WALLS - Conversation on Prisoners’ Rights

This report documents the one day seminar 'Beyond Prison Walls: Conversation on Prisoner’s Rights ' organised by Tihar prisons in collaboration with Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and Delhi School of Social Work (DSSW), on 23 September 2017.