The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Convocation on prison campus

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Friday, Jul 11, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Convocation on prison campus

S. Vijay Kumar

“This initiative will continue in other central prisons”

— Photo: A. Shaikmohideen

Palayamkottai Central Prison.

CHENNAI: A special convocation will be held at the Palayamkottai central prison in Tirunelveli this month to award degrees to 34 graduates.

Manonmaniam Sundaranar University has proposed to conduct the convocation on the prison campus. The Prison Department has given its consent. The Vice-Chancellor will present the degrees to convicts who passed various undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

“This initiative will continue in other central prisons. Many convicts are showing keen interest in pursuing higher education. Since the number of graduates is increasing, we will organise convocations on the prison premises in consultation with respective universities,” R. Natraj, Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) told The Hindu on Thursday. The response to Adult and Continuing Education programme was encouraging in prisons. Many convicts had become computer literate in the Tiruchi and Vellore jails.

PCO in jails

Considering requests made by a section convicts and keeping in tune with the Bangalore model of providing telephone facilities in jails, the Prison Department has decided to install Public Call Office in jails.

Mr. Natraj said the first coin-box telephone would come up in the Puzhal central prison. “The conversations made in this telephone would be recorded for security reasons. The facility would be introduced in other prisons in a phased manner without making any compromise on security.”

As part of the prison modernisation programme, the interview system at the Puzhal prison would be revamped. Visitors can have one-to-one conversation with convicts with the help of a hotline.

A telephone would be available on either side of a sound-proof enclosure separated by a glass wall.

Video-conferencing

The facility of video-conferencing that presently linked 276 courts in the State would be extended to 78 more courts. “The concept has been very successful in Tamil Nadu. Since 2004, 3.3 lakh prisoners were produced for remand extension and other purposes with the help of video-conferencing…it helps to save on manpower and vehicles,” Mr. Natraj added.

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