In response to the growing number of inmates resulting into overcrowding in prisons, the Maharashtra Prison Department has announced plans to ramp up the capacity of its jails by a staggering 6,000. The proposal for expanded prison capacity has been formally submitted to the State’s Home Ministry, stated Additional Director General of Police (Prison), Amitabh Gupta on Friday. Presently, the state’s 60 jails are designed to accommodate 25,000 inmates. However, with a current inmate population of 42,000, the prison administration is under significant pressure.

 

To address this issue, plans are underway to expand prison facilities and create new ones in locations that currently lack jail facilities. ADG Gupta outlined the specific expansion plans, noting that additional accommodations will be made for 500 prisoners in Thane Jail, 1,500 in Palghar, 500 in Ahmednagar, and a substantial 3,040 in Yerwada Jail located in Pune. The focus extends beyond expanding existing facilities, with new jail construction planned for areas such as Gondia, Washim, Hingoli, and Baramati where no prisons currently exist, he said.

 

As Prision administation is worrying about illegal smuggling of mobile phones within prisons, a novel solution is being implemented to establish communication of prisoners with their family members and move them towards reformation. Smartcard phones would be installed within the prisons and inmates will be provided with smart cards, granting them the opportunity to communicate with their relatives once a month for 10 minutes of talktime. Specific phone numbers of family members would be added in the smart cards that would allow access of phones to the inmates, stated ADG Gupta. This initiative has already undergone a trial period at Yerwada Jail, with comprehensive details submitted to the State Home Ministry for review. Inspector General of Prisons, Dr Jalandar Supekar, and Jail Superintendent Vaibhav Aage were present in the press conference.