Prisoners allowed to call families

Conversations are recorded to ensure security

KARACHI: Prisoners across Sindh have been given permission to talk to their families over the phone once a week, apart from those who are serving sentences for terrorism, treason and other major offences.

Prisons Inspector General Nusrat Mangan, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that with the Sindh government's lockdown orders, prisoners were no longer being presented in court. The social contact of the inmates inside the jails had also been limited, while they were not allowed to meet their families, he added.

"The isolation was causing the prisoners mental stress and anxiety, and their family members too were worried about their safety," explained Mangan, adding that the decision was taken keeping in mind the growing concerns among prisoners and their families due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Since there are thousands of prisoners, he said, they would all will be allowed to make phone calls to their families once a week, whereas the conversations will also be recorded to ensure security.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2020.