PRISON REFORMS IN HARYANA
Educational Programs – IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) Centres have set up in the Central Jail, Ambala, District Jail Sirsa, Karnal, Gurgaon and Faridabad of Haryana to enable the prison inmates to study and acquire higher qualifications after 10+2 so as to provide them better employment opportunities after the release from the Jails. About 692 prison inmates have already been enrolled for study under this facility. Government Literacy mission programmes are running in 15 jails and in the last 4 years a total of 3734 prison inmates have availed the benefit of the mission. Further National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has recently opened six centres at Central Jail Ambala, Hisar , Borstal Jail, Hisar, District Jail Karnal, Faridabad and District Jail, Gurgaon of Haryana to enable the prison inmates to get education upto 10+2 level. 102 prison inmates have enrolled themselves for NIOS courses.
Vocational Educational Programmes – Vocational Centre has been opened at Karnal, Faridabad and Gurgaon for 12 vocational courses like Carpentry, Bakery & Confectionary, Welding technology, Plumbing, Cutting, and Tailoring etc.
Wages to Prisoners – All wages to the prison inmates which are earned by them for the work done by them are being disbursed in various Jails through saving bank accounts of prison inmates opened in various nationalized banks.
Authorized Accommodation – Increase in various Jails – At present authorized accommodation of prison inmates is 16964 which is sufficient to cater to the prison inmates lodged in Haryana Jails. Capacity of District Jail Kaithal has been enhanced from 383 to 700 in the year 2011. Besides it is mentioned that new Jhajjar Jail with capacity of 1074 prisoners has also been recently made operational in Haryana. Capacity of Rohtak jail have also increased by 930 inmates after construction of new jail at Sunaria (old authorized capacity is 370 and new is 1300).
Video Conferencing facility - Video Conferencing facility between 39 Courts and 19 Prisons (total 25 VC Studios) of Haryana have been made operational and in the last two years. 44123 remand appearances of prison inmates from 01.04.2010 to 31.12.2011 have been made through Video Conferencing facility and Haryana is one of the pioneer State in this regard as Video Conferencing facility is available in all the 19 Jails and 39 Courts of Haryana. It has led to saving of P.O.L. expenditure and made manpower of Police and Prison available for other duties. Thus remand appearances through Video Conferencing decrease the chances of escapes during transit from Jails to Courts for remand peshis.
Computerization of Jails – State Govt. has taken steps to implement the important recommendation of Jail Reform Committee. I.T. Plan of Prisons department has been approved for Rs. 5.28 crores and in 1st Phase of IT Plan, State Govt. has sanctioned Rupees 85.23 lacs for purchase of computers & other IT items and 100 computers have been already made available in various jails/offices and Headquarters etc.
Medical Programmes – Prison Reform Committee has recommended for filling up the shortage of posts of Medical officers in the various jail of Haryana. In pursuance of this recommendation 10 retired doctors have been given reemployment (Contractual appointment) in the year 2012-13 and further steps are also being taken to fill up the remaining shortage of Medical staff.
Medical Camps – In the last year 35 medical camps have been organized in the different jails of Haryana for maintaining good healthy environment in Jails.