India
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India: almost all jails in Maharashtra overcrowded, prison officials struggle to enforce ‘equitable distribution’
Even as the Bombay High Court has suggested shifting undertrial prisoners from crowded jails to other jails for an “equitable distribution” in light of an alarming rise in Covid-19 case, data from the prison department shows that nearly all prisons in the state are filled to capacity or are overcrowded. Apart…Source — The indian express
Inde : Covid et prison, la vie carcérale pour ces femmes oubliées de la pandémie
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
India: Maharashtra prison dept starts vaccination for inmates at Arthur Road Jail
Maharashtra prison department has started Covid-19 vaccination drive for the inmates at Arthur Road Jail or Mumbai Central Prison. Around 39 inmates were vaccinated till Saturday. Sunil Ramanand, additional director general of police, Maharashtra prison department, confirmed that the vaccination drive…Source — Hindustantimes
India: misgendering, sexual violence, what it is to be a transgender in a prison
Violence, misgendering, medical negligence and routine denial of legal aid — are what mark the experience of transgender inmates in prisons across India. In her reports for The Wire, Sukanya Shantha tracks how vulnerable one such group — the transgender community — is in India’s prisons. Sukanya finds…Source — The Wire
India: after 70 years, Rajasthan amends prison manual that sanctioned caste-based labour
For over 70- years, the Rajasthan state had followed an unconstitutional and violative prison manual that allowed assignment of labour on the basis of a prisoner’s caste. This institutionalised caste practice had continued unchallenged until The Wire’s report exposed the conditions in prisons of Rajasthan…Source — The Wire Impact
India: "they don’t even look at us as humans. How can we expect them to protect us from the virus?"
Inmates from Jail Number 14 described the conditions in the jail as bheed-bichham (stuffed), jaanvaron jaisa vyavhar (animalistic behaviour), and insaan bhi nahi samajhte (inhumane). They felt the inmates who tested positive for the virus were kept in even more deplorable conditions, evoking pity and…Source — The Justice Gap
India: from segregation to labour, Manu’s caste law governs the prison system
Caste-based labour, in fact, is sanctioned in the prison manuals of many states. The colonial texts of the late 19th century have barely seen any amendments, and caste-based labour remains an untouched part of these manuals. While every state has its own unique prison manual, they are mostly based on…Source — The Wire
India: NCRB to include transpersons as separate category in prison statistics, Delhi HC told
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has agreed to include transgender as a separate category in the gender classification of prisoners in their annual publication of prison statistics 2020, it informed the Delhi High Court on Monday. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told a Division Bench…Source — Times now
India: Kerala government counts losses as COVID-19 scare hits sale of prison food
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Covid-19 outbreak has affected all sorts of businesses and the Prisons Department in Kerala is no different. The department’s prestigious initiative ‘Food for Freedom’ has taken a hit owing to the decrease in demand forcing the authorities to scale down production. The food production…Source — The New Indian Express
India: Coimbatore prison inmates to grow sugarcane
COIMBATORE: As part of a series of efforts aimed to encourage agriculture activity among prison inmates, Coimbatore central prison authorities have planned to begin sugarcane cultivation at Open Air Jail (OAJ) campus in Ondipudur.Source — The Indian Express
India: prison system needs urgent reform
The 2018 statistics on prison must spur the criminal justice system to assess, evaluate and take affirmative steps.Source — Hindustan Times
India: prison rule stands in way of quick hanging
NEW DELHI: A proviso in the revised 2018 Delhi Prison Manual now stands between the timely execution of the four Nirbhaya convicts on February 1 and the possibility of a further delay.Source — Times Of India
India: Kerala capital gets first beauty parlour run by inmates of Poojapura Central Prison
The initiative is part of the various rehabilitation programmes taken up by the Prison Department for the prisoners.Source — The New Indian Express
India: Shivamogga central prison to soon get digital library
The Central Prison in Shivamogga will soon have a digital library on its campus. The jail is already home to a library which has a collection of over 10,000 books.Source — New Indian Express
India: death in prison increased by 5.49 % in 2017 against 2015
The number of unnatural deaths in prisons has increased by 15.7 per cent from 115 in 2015 to 133 in 2017.Source — India Today
India : central prison to get its own radio station soon
The foundation has installed the equipment and connected them with 24 speakers in every nook and corner of the prison.
India: an oasis of knowledge within Tihar prison walls
From computer applications to English, inmates are learning and imparting new skills to each other at an institute opened recently on jail premisesSource — The Hindu
India: human rights panel finds 91 prisoners with broken bones in Chennai prison
National human rights commission has ordered Rs 3 lakh compensation to one such victim and initiate criminal action on responsible officers.Source — New India Express
India: overcrowding, inadequate staff and lack of menstrual products in Haryana prisons: study
Undignified body searches, absence of proper health and hygiene facilities for female prisoners, inadequate staff, overcrowding and racism are some of the issues afflicting prisons in Haryana, a study by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and Haryana State Legal Services Authority has revealed.Source — The Wire
India: inmates, police clash in Ludhiana Central Jail
A violent clash broke out between inmates and police officers at Punjab’s Ludhiana Central Jail on Thursday, leaving one inmate dead and five injured. Around half a dozen police personnel also sustained injuries.Source — The Hindu
India: Amnesty International highlights human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir
The Amnesty International said on Wednesday that the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) circumvents the criminal justice system in the Indian-occupied Kashmir to undermine accountability, transparency and respect for human rights. The briefing, “Tyranny of A ‘Lawless Law’: Detention without Charge…Source — GEO TV
India: Inmates climb atop Madurai Central Prison building to stage stir
According to prison officials, the prisoners climbed atop block-3 building using the windows after strict checking to curb ganja smuggling was enforced.Source — The New Indian Express
India: should 400,000 prisoners get to vote in the 2019 election?
India’s preparing to vote again. Some 900 million of its 1.3 billion people are expected to exercise their franchise over April and May. Amidst this massive celebration of democracy, a small but significant section of the population is still waiting to know whether it will be part of the process. These…Source — Quartz
India: overcrowding prisons a violation of human rights, says Supreme Court
There are several prisons where the overcrowding is well beyond 100% and in some cases it exceeds 150%.Source — The Hindu
