Odisha’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced that all jails in the State will have video conferencing facilities by this year-end.
He remarked, “I am glad that video conferencing facilities have been installed in most of the jails with the corresponding courts for speedy trials, and by the end of this year, all the jails in Odisha will have such facilities.”
After handing over appointment letters to 238 newly recruited warders, the Chief Minister has instructed the prison officials to follow best practices in jail administration and adopt good practices of other States to transform the jails in Odisha. Patnaik says that the warders are the most important functionaries in overall jail administration and directed the Prisons Directorate to take adequate measures for imparting quality training to them in prison administration and correctional services, so that they can perform their duties efficiently.
The Chief Minister said, “Prison management and correctional services, being important and integral part of the criminal justice system, assume great significance in reformation and rehabilitation of inmates lodged in different jails. There is no overcrowding in Odisha jails because of the efforts taken towards providing legal aid to the inmates, periodical reviews made by district-level judicial, civil and jail administration for under-trial prisoners and biannual reviews are conducted by the State Sentence Review Board.”
He also confirmed that continuous endeavour is underway to improve the facilities inside the jails including construction of new wards for spacious accommodation of inmates, renovation of kitchens, drainage and lighting, provision of providing purified and cold drinking water, installation of telephones and other infrastructure required for the inmates.
