Tamil Nadu   

Tamil Nadu Prison Act to focus more on human rights

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Prison Act that will soon be tabled in the Assembly is expected to focus more on human rights, health and sanitation issues.

Derived from the Indian Prison Act, 1894, and the Prisoners Act, 1900, it will lay emphasis on reformation aspects.

Taking the Model Prison Act issued by the Bureau of Police Research and Development as a benchmark, the Act would bring about more transparency in prison functions, Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) R. Natraj said here on Wednesday.

The committee led by former Director General of Police R.L. Handa, constituted to review the existing prison manual containing 1,124 sections and suggest modifications, has submitted its report to the government. “The new prison manual will take shape after the Act is passed. Since human rights issues have gained prominence, the revised manual will focus on custodial care and privacy of women inmates.”

Mr. Natraj said categories such as high security block, sterile zone and external/internal safety measures would be defined in the Act.

“Issues that have gained prominence in the recent years with regard to prison administration such as infectious or critical diseases (among inmates) and the management of quarantine blocks will be defined to minute details,” he said.

Custodial care had taken new dimensions with the emergence of human rights.

“Prisons in West Bengal are called correctional centres. Retribution will take a backseat and prisoners on release should be reformed. Besides pursuing higher education, they can also learn income-generating skills and earn for the family,” Mr. Natraj said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Fatal ride
Poison care centre opened
Over Rs.7,000 crore allotted for education development: Velu
Importance of mother’s milk stressed
Uzhavar Sandhai for Pallappatti
Free vaccination camp for cattle
United
Proactive or reactive?
Legal Aid building inaugural on Sunday
Workers killed
Heralding the arrival
Salem looks forward to SEZ
Youths urged to take up research in Tamil literature
Power shutdown
Women power
“Increase higher education opportunities”
Leading a hand-to-mouth existence
‘Kamban Vizha’ revisits the epic
Inauguration
Far from madding crowd, they make a beeline for Mudichur
Check on heavy vehicles from Friday
Electrical trade exhibition to open on August 15
ICAI to start certificate course
More time sought for filing claims of discrepancies
Tamil Nadu Prison Act to focus more on human rights
Brainstorming on exam reforms planned
85-day-old child dies hours after vaccination
State transport workers to join strike
Irulas, at close quarters
“Secular parties should remain together in State”
Cash award for top five innovations
Order to consider afresh MLA’s plea for arms licence set aside
They are prisoners of urban poverty
Suspended

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu