JUSTICE AND PEACE

THE JAIL DEPARTMENT

Location of Jails.

THERE IS NEITHER A DISTRICT PRISON nor a Central Prison in the district. As such, casual prisoners convicted and sentenced to more than three months, but not exceeding two years, are sent to Akola District Prison and prisoners sentenced above two years to Nagpur Central Prison. All habitual prisoners from the district are sent to Amraoti District Prison. Short term prisoners of the district with sentences ranging from one week to a month are accommodated in the taluka subsidiary jails which are eleven and are located at Amalner, Bhadgaon, Chalisgaon, Chopda, Erandol Jamner, Pachora, Raver, Yawal, Edlabad and Parola.

These sub-jails are classified as class III sub jails and are administered by the Revenue Department.

The sub-jails at Jalgaon and Bhusawal are classified as Class III Headquarter Sub-Jails. These sub-jails are put in charge of a Jailor-cum-Superintendent.

Lock-ups.

The police lock-ups in the district are under the direct control of the Inspector-General of Police.

Organisation.

The Inspector-General of Prisons exercises, subject to the orders of the State Government, general control and superintendence over all prisons and jails in the State. He is assisted by a Deputy Inspector-General; a Personal Assistant, the Superintendent of Jail Industries and other staff.

The executive officer in charge of a Central or District Prison is the Superintendent who is vested with the executive management of the prison in all matters relating to internal economy, discipline, labour, punishment and control, generally subject to the orders and authority of the Inspector-General.

Training.

The Superintendents of Prisons and Jailors receive a theoretical as well as practical training in Jail Officers' Training School at Yeravda on a scientific basis in all fields of correctional work. A comprehensive training programme in correctional administration has been prescribed for the said purpose and a vocational course of training has been chalked out which is designed to meet with the actual requirements of jail guards in discharging their daily duties satisfactorily.

Physical Training Instructor visits the jails in the State in rotation and imparts training in drill, games and other physical activities both to the inmates of the jail as also to the jail guards.

Due care is taken to see that every jail officer and every jail subordinate gets an adequate opportunity to acquaint himself with the theoretical as well as practical sides of his duties, so that he can discharge them quite satisfactorily. The training programme has in fact gained an important place in the jail administration which aims at giving a material shape to the idea of Mahatma Gandhi that "imprisonment should primarily aim at treating a prisoner's diseased mind since the crime which he commits is but a sign of a diseased mind, and also making him fit to go into society after his release to lead an honest life ".

Guarding Establishment.

Part of the guarding establishment is armed. This section serves as a reserve guard to reinforce the unarmed guards in the immediate charge of prisoners inside the prison or in extramural gangs in the event of assault, mutiny, escape or other emergency.

Matron.

No post of matron is sanctioned for headquarter sub-jails but the Superintendent is empowered to engage a matron locally whenever a woman prisoner is admitted to a jail.

Medical Officer.

No medical staff is sanctioned for headquarter sub-jails but the Maharashtra Medical Service Officer in charge of the local Government dispensary or the Medical Officer attached to the local board or municipal dispensary stationed at or nearest to the place where the sub-jail is situated is deemed to he the Medical Officer of the jail. He has to visit the sub-jail regularly at least twice a week and also at such other time as he may be sent for to attend cases of serious illness or to examine newly admitted prisoners. A small stock of medicines is always kept in the sub-jail office to treat minor cases of illness etc., and serious cases are transferred to the local Government dispensary for treatment.

Classification of Prisoners.

Prisoners are classified as class I or class II by the Court after taking into consideration their status in society and also the nature of the offence. They are further classified as casuals, habituals, undertrials and security or detenus. There is no separate class of "political prisoners" but certain rules which do not allow the grant of facilities and privileges on the score of length of sentence are relaxed in their favour under the specific orders of Government. Prisoners are also grouped as short termers, i.e., having a sentence up to three months, as medium termers, i.e., sentenced to three months and above up to two years, and as long termers, i.e., sentenced to two years and above. The short termers are given deterrent treatment while in the case of medium and long termers paramount importance is given to the reformation of the prisoner. Headquarter sub-jails are meant for the confinement of short term prisoners and undertrial prisoners only.

Jail Reforms.

The jail reform committee appointed by the State Government in 1946 made several recommendations in their report calculated to conduce to the reformation of the prisoner and Government accepted many of those recommendations. The rules for the treatment have since been liberalised. The regulations regarding corporal punishment have been tightened and whipping as a jail punishment is now to be awarded exceptionally after obtaining prior sanction of Government. Punishment of penal diet and gunny clothing have been abolished. Rules about letters and interviews have also been liberalised.

Remission of Sentence.

Only long termers come within the ambit of the rules on the subject. Since short term prisoners only are confined to the jails of Jalgaon district details about remission of sentences are not dealt with here.

Work.

Work is arranged according to the prisoner's health. Work allotment committee for the Central and District Jails assigns suitable work for newly admitted prisoners taking into account their health conditions, aptitudes, past experience and the term of imprisonment.

Payment of Wages.

Long term and medium term prisoners as also security and undertrial prisoners who volunteer to work are paid one-fifth of the wages, which are paid normally for similar work outside, provided they complete their daily quota of task to the satisfaction of the authorities concerned.

Release on parole and furlough.

A prisoner may be released on parole in cases of serious illness or death of any member of his family or his nearest relative or for any other sufficient cause. The period spent on parole will not count as part of the sentence.

The prisoner who desires to be released on parole has to submit his application to the Jail Superintendent who has to endorse his remarks thereon and submit one copy thereof direct to Government and one copy to the Inspector-General of Prisons along with the nominal roll of the prisoner concerned. Prisoners who apply for parole on false grounds or who abuse the concession or commit breaches of any of the conditions of parole are liable to he punished. Enquiries as regards genuineness or otherwise of the grounds advanced in the application are made through the local revenue and police officers.

Prisoners with a sentence of one year and above are entitled to being released on furlough for a period of two weeks which will be counted as a part of the sentence.

Board of Visitors.

A Board of Visitors comprising official and non-official visitors is appointed for every headquarter sub-jail and taluka sub-jails. There are ordinarily four non-official visitors for headquarter sub-jails out of which two are members of the Maharashtra Legislature and two are nominated by Government of whom one is a lady.

The appointment of non-official visitors other than members of the State Legislature is made for a period not exceeding three years. Persons who in the opinion of Government are interested in prison administration and are likely to take interest in the welfare of prisoners both while they are in prison and after their release are nominated by Government on the Board of Visitors on the recommendation of the District Magistrate concerned and of the Inspector-General of Prisons. The Chairman of the Board of Visitors who is usually the District Magistrate of the district arranges for a weekly visit to the prison by one of the members of the Board. Quarterly meetings of the Board are convened. Non-Official Visitors are allowed to visit the prison on any day at any time during the day in addition to the weekly visit arranged by the Chairman. The Board records in the visitor's book its observations on the result of the detailed inspection of the jails. Any remark at the quarterly meeting or at the weekly visits deserving special and prompt disposal is immediately forwarded by the Superintendent to the Inspector-General for necessary orders. Other remarks made by the visitors and the quarterly Committee of Visitors are forwarded immediately after the end of the month by the Superintendent to the Inspector-General with such remarks as he may desire to offer.

In bigger jails a committee of prisoners is selected for each ward by the prisoners themselves, and the Jailor and the Superintendent consult the committee which is known in jail parlance as 'Jail Panchayat Committee' in matters of discipline and general welfare of prisoners.

Education.

Literacy classes are conducted for those prisoners who are ignorant of the three R's under the supervision of literate convicts and paid teachers who are appointed only at some of the main jails in the State. Regular annual examinations are held in the jail by the Deputy Educational Inspectors. As remuneration for conducting literacy classes in jail grant-in-aid is received from Education Department 25% of which is given to the convict teachers as an encouragement after the quarterly examinations of the students (prisoners) are held and rest of the amount is utilised towards the purchase of books, boards, etc., required for the literacy classes. Films of educational and reformative value are also exhibited by the District Regional Publicity Officer.

The authorised accommodation and the daily average population of the headquarter sub-jails in Jalgaon district for the year 1957 was as under:—

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