Prison Tales
With the State Human Rights Commission taking suo moto cognizance of the food poisoning incident at the Aguada central jail, there might be some respite for prisoners. One life convict died Friday, while many more took serious with diarrhea and vomiting after consuming a meal cooked at the prison Thursday night, it is suspected. A total of 139 inmates at the Aguada jail and the Mapusa lock up that is supplied food by the Aguada kitchen, had to be treated, some at GMC where security was drawn from several police stations and many at the prison itself. Food and Drug Authorities inspected the kitchen and samples of water and earlier food were collected, but reportedly samples of the contaminated dinner were not available for testing.
The incident, however, will once again focus attention on conditions in prison, described by many as appalling for their sanitary conditions and overcrowding. As recently as February, the SHRC intervened on conditions at the Mapusa judicial lock up, which was found to be very old and its jail cells overcrowded. Though the latter had an intake capacity of 45, it was reportedly found to be holding 83 inmates at the time.
The Aguada central jail, despite its many renovations, has been found unsuitable for a central jail. The kitchen facilities, water and other lines only seem to be getting a clean up by the PWD and other authorities after the food poisoning incident. While it may be an old prison, hygiene is still a matter of maintenance and the prison administration responsible for keeping these in order, as well as ensuring hygienic supplies of food material, could do well with ensuring standards are met.
A modern prison for Goa, pending since 2008 has yet to be commissioned at Colvale, despite several deadlines lapsing. Built at a cost of Rs 51 crore, the concrete block that the administration claims will have state-of-the-art equipment is expected to ease the problem of overcrowding in the current sub-jail at Sada, that now holds the maximum undertrials in the State aside from the judicial lock up at Mapusa.
On its website, the Goa prisons administration says it has turned itself towards a reformative and rehabilitative approach, with the jail administration responsible to look after the reformative needs of all prisoners and safeguard and protect their rights under the 2006 prison rules. It should be a matter of concern, though, that human rights lawyers have had to file cases on behalf of former prisoners who have found their personal bank accounts depleted, and no account of money earned at some of the workshops in the prison. Allegations around the money given over to the victims’ fund, that takes 50 per cent of the inmates wages, also need to be addressed.
There are enough reports that point to the lower wage scales of prison staff being partly responsible for the corruption and siphoning of funds, besides misuse of the power they wield over prisoners for even small liberties like making a phone call to their legal representatives. The high number of undertrials with hearings pending only underscores the human rights situation. With the recent transfer of a former IG Prisons who held sole charge of the department, the charge is back to an officer who holds additional charge of the department, over and above an already demanding posting. Going by complaints from lawyers, this is known to tremendously slow down the process of consideration of a variety of prisoner applications on several matters.
Reforms within the system have been slow to come, albeit with judicial intervention, but permitting NGOs to hold yoga, painting, meditation and other courses inside prison are some of the positives in recent years. That the new Colvale jail is supposed to expand these facilities further only underlines the need for its early commissioning. A Cabinet resolution passed last December has other laudatory measures, including the setting up of an open prison/half-way house/training centre proposed to be set up at Curca on land transferred from the Housing Board. Inmates, undertrials and their kin can only hope that the measures suggested will not take too long a route to realization.
