The Prison Administration shall ensure that prisoner’s right to be respected and there will be Education, Health Care Policies for the inmates.
Basic welfare facilities will be extended, counseling, legal aid clinic, Yoga, Cultural Societies and Canteen facilities will be provided in the Prisons.
After Care and Rehabilitation of prisoners will be there and different types of remission and power to grant remission are being codified, said senior officials in State Prison Administration.
Every Convict prisoners shall be allowed interview twice in a month and every newly convicted shall be allowed reasonable facilities for seeing or communicating with relatives and friends.
While a Child born inside the Prison will not be recorded, there will be facilities of crèche, nursery school for these children.
In order to bring uniformity among all the States and Union Territories, the State Government has adopted the New Odisha Model Jail Manual-2020, which comes into effect immediately and above is some of the salient features.
Santosh Kumar Upadhyay, DG Prisons and Correctional Services has directed all the Jail Superintendents to follow the new Odisha Model Jail Manual, which added several new features added with existing Odisha Jail Manual, 1942.
While Government of India advised the State Governments to bring uniformity among the Prison Administrations all over the country, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), New Delhi prescribed the new Model Manual.
Looking at the State’s requirement and keeping in view the Supreme Court directions and NHRC Guidelines, New Model Jail Manual was prepared and vetted by the Department of Law.
There will be State Advisory Board to advise the Prison Administration and proper implementation of Prison Development Plan will be done.
Prison Administration will ensure separation of different categories of prisoners such as Civil Prisoners, Under Trials, Convicted Prisoners, Yong Offenders, Female Prisoners, First Offenders, Habitual Offenders, High Security Prisoners etc.
Circle jail will have authorized capacity of 1000 inmates, District Jails will have 500 Capacity and Sub Jails will have 300 authorized population.
Strength of Guarding Staff will be maintained with one Guarding Staff for every Six Prisoners.
There will be arrangement for repatriation of Prisoners and procedure of Repatriation has been codified.
While there will be A and B Type of Prison Hospitals, treatment of Drug Addicts and De-Addiction Program and treatment of Prisoners in outside Prison Hospital will be allowed in both inside and outside of the State.
Manual enshrines method of calculation of sentences, commutation of sentences, period of escape, bail, parole, extradition shall not count towards sentences.
Standard Operating Procedures(SOP) for handling emergency situation like escape, outbreak, riots, gang-war, strikes, epidemics etc are scripted in Manual.
Requirement for Open Air Jail, Open Colony, Work In Open Air Jail, and eligibility of inmates to stay in Open Air Jails are prescribed in the Manual.
Details of High Security Prisons classification, accommodation, security arrangements, staffing pattern, court hearing are listed in the Model Manual, officials say.
Comprehensive Computerization of the Prison System will be in place and record of all activities of the Prisoners will be maintained, they say.