New act promises to reform West Bengal jails

Jails in West Bengal will turn into 'correctional homes' and political prisoners will get a legal status with the implementation of a new act.

Jail Affairs Minister Biswanath Chowdhury told newspersons in Calcutta on Friday that Presidential assent had already been received regarding implementation of the West Bengal Correctional Services Act, 1992, which was formulated after repealing five age-old acts.

Under the new act, all jails in the state would be renamed correctional homes, where measures would be taken for mental and moral upliftment and to provide educational and other facilities to the prisoners to upgrade their quality, character and mental aptitude.

The act also provides a definition of political prisoners making them a separate class from the other inmates, in contrast to the previous acts, which had only specified a provision for first class prisoners.

The minister said two advisory boards at the state and district levels would be formed for proper implementation of the act in the next two or three months following formulation of the relevant rules.

UNI