The Hindu : Prisons & justice

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 03, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Prisons & justice

Sir, — Your Editorial, `Justice within prisons' (August 1) should really have been titled `injustice within prisons'. The problem of overcrowding, insanitation and the under-trials languishing for extended periods are all as old as the prison system itself. Everybody talks about it, is aware of it, concerned about it but still not able to do anything about it. I read an article in your paper recently that privately run prisons in the U.S. have a vested interest in keeping the number of prisoners high in the jails. On the same lines, is there a vested interest lobby in India which keeps the jails overcrowded?

To be solved it has to be attacked from all fronts. First the law-makers should enact a law which enables the prison authorities themselves to release the under-trials if they have already served the term of sentence prescribed by law for such crimes. The policy planners should apportion more funds for building spacious and hygienic prisons. The Bench and the bar can help in speeding up the trial and also avoiding frivolous adjournments. Finally, a system of Compulsory Continuing Professional Education can be made obligatory for the Judicial Officers also to sensitise them about the prison conditions and the plight of the under-trials.

S. Thiyagarajan,
Pondicherry

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