PM Gilani for improving condition of jail inmates

LAHORE, May 11 (APS): Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the focus of jail reforms should be on improving the condition of jail inmates.“ Jails should act a reformation centre instead of producing criminals”, he said while chairing a preliminary committee meeting to prepare recommendations on jail reforms here at State Guest House on Sunday.
Justice Agha Rafique Ahmed Khan Secretary Law division, Imtiaz Qazi Additional secretary ministry of interior, Muhammad Naeem ul Haq member NRB,Mian Farooq IG prisons Punjab, Yamin Khan IG prisons Sindh, Khalid Abbass additional IG prisons NWFP and Major ® Akbar Lashari DIG prisons Baluchistan were also present.
He said, the government attaches high priority to the jail reforms and provision of facilities to the inmates and directed all the concerned authorities to come up with proposals in this regard at the earliest.
Describing his own experiences in castellation , the Prime Minister said that a lot of things need to be kept in view while preparing reforms, over-crowding is one of the main issues which need to be addressed as it create problems like drug addiction, miserable food conditions, availability of space and spreading of various diseases like skin diseases, hepatitis and TB.
He directed the concerned Ministry of Law and Justice to change the jail manual according to the needs of 2008 to get rid of centuries old system and ensure provision of basic facilities to the prisoners.
He stressed upon the need to impart vocational training to the prisoners to make them responsible citizens.
He directed the committee to check the powers of superintendents of jail through judiciary and study the reports of ‘Law Commission and Justice Zahid Nasir’ while making the reforms.
Expressing his serious reservations on the role of “Mushuqti” he directed the jail staff to provide telephone facility to the prisoners to check corruption.
He said that under trial prisoners are 80 percent and stressed the need to speed up their trial to control the overcrowding in jails.
He said that the jail culture need to be changed into rehabilitation centre so that the prisoners could be made responsible citizen.
Jail industry should be improved focusing on technical training for the prisoners, he said.
He also emphasised upon the need to provide best food and health facilities at the prisons specially for the women, including availability of gynaecologists.
The Prime Minister directed the jail authorities to install water filtration plants for the provision of clean drinking water to the prisoners.