Of our gaols and gaolers

Corruption and mismanagement in prison-houses are something known but seldom talked about. As it is, prisoners in Bangladesh have to live in the most squalid and unhygienic of conditions. While the jails can accommodate around twenty-six thousand they have become unlivable with three times that number. The less said about the quality of food the better. Under these circumstances it is all the more disconcerting that those that are tasked to ensure that the prisoners get the bare minimum, are themselves depriving the prisoners of it.

That some prisoners can purchase a little comfort, rigours that go with prison life can be lessened through palm-greasing and things like that are normal in our prisons. Recent press reports have only brought to light the level of corruption that pervades the entire system. Not only the prisoners, their relatives are also a source of extortion by prison employees.

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The malaise goes deeper into internal administration. Disconcertingly, prison officials who do not fall in line with 'higher echelons' face the ire of the latter and end up being posted to 'punishment slots'.

It is unfortunate but true that once a man walks in through the portals of a jail he cedes his basic human rights for the duration of his incarceration. Otherwise how can one explain the officials depriving the prisoners, through a systemic collusion, of what the state has entitled them to have? How can one stoop so low as to exploit the miseries of the prisoners for whom there is perhaps no avenue for redress, lest, seeking redress may bring on them more wrath of the officials.

The distress of the prisoners can be mitigated through administrative measures without having to wait for prison reform. It should be done sooner rather than later.