PANJIM: The Prisons Department has proposed that the State Government set up an ‘open jail’ under which some prisoners are allowed to live with their families in the jail compound, although in separate enclosures.
The proposal was sent to the government a while ago based on guidelines set by the Central government. “We are awaiting a response from the government,” Inspector General of Prisons Rajendra Mirajkar said.
As per the concept followed in certain parts of the country, open prisons have relatively less stringent rules as compared to controlled jails, and prisoners with good behaviour satisfying certain norms prescribed in the prison rules are admitted in open prisons. The data shared by the Central government reveals 17 states have open jails, with Rajasthan is reported to have the highest of 29 such jails.
Goa has many prisoners who hail from different states and their family members have expressed difficulties in meeting the inmates. If an open jail is approved in Goa, local prisoners will also be allowed to have their family members live within the premises.
“A prisoner will have his family living in the same campus, but in different enclosures. There will be separate entry-exit points for the prisoner and his/her family. The family will be able to leave and re-enter the premises whereas the inmate will be confined until the sentence period. However, this is just a tentative idea on how it would function. A detailed plan on the modalities of an open jail in Goa will be chalked out only after its approval,” another senior official at the Secretariat told Herald.
Recently, the Prisons Department had transferred two Karnataka inmates to their State jails with government’s consent. “At times when the counterpart jails have no space to accommodate inmates hailing from their State, they continue to serve sentence here and this is when their family members find it difficult to meet them. Open jail can re-unite them, however, only after following the prison rules,” the official said.
