Govt to expedite jail reforms

Prison rules to be amended over claims of unaddressed grievances against officials

LAHORE:

To support fair and expeditious resolution of the inmates’ grievances, the provincial government has proposed a ‘Complaints Redressal System’ in a draft recently prepared to amend the Punjab Prison Rules 2020.

The draft was prepared following claims of inmates that their complaints were not forwarded to the authorities concerned as the officials about whom they complained were part of the jail management. A comprehensive mechanism has been devised in a new chapter for promptly redressing the complaints. The inmates earlier used to complain to the officials who visited the jails, prison superintendents and the district and session judges.

However, according to them, their grievances were not addressed. The provincial government intends to amend The Punjab Prison Rules 2020, introducing several clauses to make them stronger and more viable. Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar had expressed his intention to reform the prison rules last year. For the purpose, Law Minister Basharat Raja formed a working group led by the PTI MPA Aisha Nawaz Chaudhry who along with all stakeholders reviewed the prison rules and proposed amendments. The meetings were attended by members of the civil society, prison officials and representatives of the Advocate General Punjab's office.

The draft envisages that whenever there are reasonable grounds to believe that an act of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment has been committed in prison, irrespective of whether a formal complaint has been received or not, the inspector general or government may initiate an inquiry into such an allegation. The superintendent of each prison shall form a permanent complaints committee comprising himself, the most senior deputy superintendent, the medical officer and social welfare officer. If the prison has a female enclosure then a woman officer not below the rank of deputy superintendent shall be included in the committee.

Read Music put to use to promote reformative justice for juveniles

The committee shall meet but at least twice a week to look into all complaints of inmates. Under a proposal, the complaints committee must ensure that an inmate is given the opportunity to get assistance to make a complaint and verify any information in this regard. On receiving an oral or written complaint, the complaints committee must ask the prisoner whether he or she wishes to discuss the matter and arrange a discussion within 48 hours.

Otherwise, the committee shall inform the complainant in writing of the reasons for delay. A complainant dissatisfied with the decision of the complaints committee may indicate this to the panel, which must refer the matter to the deputy inspector general or IG. The response of the officer will be communicated to the complainant within 15 days. A grievance committee shall be formed in every division for an independent review of complaints referred from the prisons. Every prisoner shall also have an opportunity to make complaints to inspection officers during their visits to jails, without the presence of the prison staff if so requested.

The district and sessions judges, during their monthly visits to prisons in their jurisdiction, provide the prisoners an opportunity to present their grievances or requests to them. This shall also be arranged in the absence of prison officers, if so requested. Any disciplinary proceedings against prison staff recommended by a district and sessions judge shall be dealt with through a judicial inquiry. Under the reforms, the inspector general shall submit monthly progress reports on the action on the complaints to the government, which will be relied upon to rectify deficiencies brought to light through the complaint mechanism.