Suicide is a major cause of 817 unnatural deaths in jails across the country between 2017 and 2021. The committee constituted by the Supreme Court regarding jail reforms has given this information. The committee has also stressed the need to create anti-suicide barracks to prevent unnatural deaths in prisons.
The committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Amitabh Roy said that of the 817 unnatural deaths, 660 were suicides and Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of 101 suicides during this period (2017 to 2021).
The Supreme Court in September 2018 had constituted a three-member committee headed by Justice (retd) Roy to look into issues related to prison reforms and make recommendations on various aspects including overcrowding in prisons. The apex court is considering the case related to the conditions prevailing in 1382 jails across the country. The hearing of this case is to be held on September 26.
Death in Custodial Violation of Basic Rights
The Committee said that custodial torture or custodial death is a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens and an insult to human dignity. After UP, Punjab has the highest number of suicides by prisoners… The committee said in its report that during the year 2017 to 2021, Uttar Pradesh has recorded the highest number of suicides in the country at 101, followed by Punjab and West Bengal with 63 respectively. and 60 prisoners committed suicide. Delhi’s jails recorded the highest number of suicides at 40 among Union territories during 2017-2021.
Senior citizens and sick prisoners should be produced in court through video conferencing.
The committee has recommended that as far as possible, the production of senior citizens and sick prisoners in the courts should be done through video conferencing. The committee said that prison staff should be trained to recognize the warning signs and proper mechanisms should be put in place for life safety in prisons. It states that the prison administration should take immediate and effective steps to prevent violence among prisoners. According to the committee, to reduce violence in prisons, it is recommended that first-time offenders and repeat offenders should be taken separately to jails, hospitals and courts and other places.
Transgender prisoners should be treated like other prisoners
The committee also said that transgender prisoners should be treated at par with other categories of prisoners and should get equal rights and facilities. The Committee has recommended that prison staff and correctional administration at all levels, especially security personnel, should be given adequate and regular training to enable them to interact appropriately with transgender prisoners. Incidents of ill-treatment, harassment or violence against transgender prisoners must be curbed and this can be achieved through a series of workshops and training sessions with individuals from academia and civil society.
The Committee has recommended that State Governments and prison departments should take appropriate and effective measures to eliminate all forms of violence, discrimination and other harms against transgender prisoners.
