Torture chambers

Torture chambers

Violence witnessed at Byculla jail calls out lawlessness in prison.
The alleged murder of a woman prisoner and subsequent rioting by enraged female inmates of the Byculla jail is a wakeup call on the state of affairs inside prison walls.Though six prison staffers have been arrested and booked for murder, the Manjula Shetye case highlights the need for prison reform and a review of existing safeguards to prevent prisoner abuse. The dignity of every human being, whether imprisoned or free, is non-negotiable. But the isolation of jails from society and the power relations that define the roles of prisoner and jailer tend to make prisons fertile grounds for abuse, overreach and violence.
Safeguards exist in the form of jail manuals that must be mandatorily followed by all staffers, a hierarchy of supervising officers, and periodic official inspections. But the question the Shetye case raises is how robust are these checks and whether overall conditions in jails contribute to the lawlessness. Jail manuals forbid prison staff from punishing prisoners who make complaints to visitors, including magistrates. The manual also charges supervisory officers with ensuring that jail officers do not infringe upon the rights of prisoners.
The Shetye case and countless others were preventable since the safeguards do exist. But prisoners are fearful of complaining to visiting officials about right violations and this allows inspecting magistrates to report back to the respective high courts that laws are being abided by. National Crime Records Bureau data for 2015 indicates that 41,542 prison inspections were conducted by judges, doctors and government officials. But there is no evidence that these visits have managed to plug the loopholes. A large share of blame must lie with the overcrowding of jails.
Prisons in many states, including Maharashtra, fall in the “overcrowded” category. Average occupancy rate in Indian prisons was 114.4% in 2015. Against a total sanctioned strength of 80,236 posts for jail staff, only 66.1% of the posts were filled. Despite several attempts, on the judicial and administrative side, there has been little success in whittling down the proportion of under-trial prisoners, who comprise two-thirds of the prison population. 7% of the 1,584 prison deaths in 2015 were classified as “unnatural”. There is a strong case for vigorously probing all such suspicious deaths, building more prisons, appointing more jailors, and strengthening inspection mechanisms.