Nat'l convention on jail reforms in Nov

The Law Ministry sources yesterday said the government will hold a national convention on the jail reforms in November aiming to develop the jails' condition as per the recommendations of the jail reform commission.

Law Minister Moudud Ahmed yesterday said the government is gathering information from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal on the reforms of their jails.

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He said the government has taken steps to improve the standard of food through increasing budget allocation.

"We have provided televisions, fans, mosquito curtains for the prisoners. We have released a number of poor prisoners from jails by providing legal aids and we are also continuing to do that," he said.

Late President Ziaur Rahman formed the jail commission in 1980 to improve the condition of the jails. After his death, the subsequent governments did not take any initiative to implement the recommendations.

The present government is working on the recommendations, the sources said.

The government is now working to amend and modify the age-old jail code.

A committee led by State Minister for Home Lutfuzzaman Babar has been working for introducing video linkage in the jails for exempting the prisoners from physical appearance before the courts. Besides, the government will very soon start working to shift Dhaka Central Jail to Keraniganj, the sources said.

Process of land requisition and allocation of budget and its design have already been completed in this regard.

More than 12,000 prisoners are now huddling inhumanly in Dhaka Central Jail with capacity of 2,600 prisoners.

Moudud, also chief of cabinet committee on jail reform, discussed the progress of jail reform activities with Babar at his secretariat office yesterday.