Criminality within prison

Why just drugs, many other products are reportedly available inside the jail compound in exchange for money. The alleged use of mobile telephone by inmates is the height of indiscretion on the part of authorities; it points to a security faultline that is too gaping to be overlooked any more. Someone should be able to tell us how this is happening. Mere disciplinary action taken against some jail employees cannot bring about a wholesale change in prison administration. That's why human rights activists, civil society members, lawyers, media -- all have been speaking aloud for a radical change in the way the jails are currently managed and run. Reform is a buzz word one hears about different sectors and institutions, but jail reform is perhaps at the bottommost shelf of the government. The latter deserves to be prioritised at the earliest.

First of all, overcrowding of the jails must be reduced to manageability by quickly disposing of the cases of under-trial prisoners who have been languishing in there for years. Secondly, regular internal monitoring, duly complemented by supervision from a higher oversight body can help streamline jail administration to a reasonable extent. In the ultimate analysis, we need comprehensive jail reform to turn things around in a domain which is part and parcel of the justice system.

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