GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Governance/ Prison Reforms
Source: IE
Context: A Supreme Court-appointed committee (Justice Amitava Roy Committee ) report on prison reforms has highlighted the dire conditions faced by women prisoners in India.
Key observations:
- The correctional justice system is “evidently gender exclusionary”.
- Increase in population of female prisoners by over 11% between 2014-19
Key findings of the report:
| Aspect | Key Findings |
| Access to basic facilities | Women prisoners face more significant challenges than men in accessing basic facilities such as medical care, legal aid, paid labour, and recreational activities. |
| Meeting children | Only jails in Goa, Delhi, and Puducherry allow female prisoners to meet their children without any bars or glass separation. |
| Sanitary napkins | Less than 40% of prisons in India provide sanitary napkins for female inmates. |
| Sharing facilities | Approximately 75% of female wards in prisons have to share kitchens and common facilities with male wards. |
| Exclusive women’s prisons | Only 18% of women prisoners are allotted exclusive women’s prison facilities. |
| Lodging together | All categories of female prisoners, including undertrials and convicts, are lodged in the same wards and barracks. |
| Gender-specific training | Lack of gender-specific training for matrons on how to search women inmates. |
| Complaints against abuse or harassment | Women inmates can file complaints against jail staff for abuse or harassment only in 10 states and 1 union territory. |
| Medical and psychiatric wards | Lack of separate medical and psychiatric wards for women inmates. |
| Child delivery facilities | Inadequate “basic minimum facilities” for child delivery in prisons. |
| Gender-specific healthcare professionals | Shortage of healthcare professionals to address the gender-specific health needs of female inmates. |
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Recommendations:
Conclusion:
The report underscores the need for significant improvements in the treatment and facilities for women in Indian prisons, calling attention to the gender-specific challenges they face.
Insta Links:
Mains Links:
Q.Instances of the President’s delay in commuting death sentences have come under public debate as a denial of justice. Should there be a time specified for the President to accept/reject such petitions? Analyse. ( UPSC 2014)
