PATNA: The total number of deaths in Bihar jails has come down drastically. Jail authorities credit it to better living conditions, improved medical facilities, fruitful engagements and an attitudinal change towards the inmates.
According to the figures available up to 2010, the number of deaths in jails have declined from 208 in 2006 to 93 in 2010.
Surprisingly enough, there has been no suicidal deaths or deaths due to internal clashes reported so far in any of the state’s jails since May 2010, IG (prisons) Ramesh Lal said adding there are eight central jails, 31 district jails and 16 subjails in Bihar.
The last time suicide took place was in May 2010 in Bhagalpur Central jail. Haro Sao, a 35-year-old who used to spend most of his time at the railway station, according to his mother, was mentally disturbed. Brought to the jail by GRP police he committed suicide just two days later, sources told TOI.
Some suicide bids ended in failures. “Once a convict tried to hang himself from a two-feet high iron gate by tying a knot around his neck.”
Loneliness and sense of desertion by family are major reasons of depression leading to suicides inside jails, said the IG. He agreed that at present there was no system of counselling in Bihar prisons for improvement of mental health of these inmates.
The maximum number of deaths have been due to old age, disease or prolonged illness, he stated adding a changed perception of prison from a place of isolation and punishment to correctional measures have helped matters to a great extent.
De-clustering of jails has proved very effective, Lal said. He added as against the capacity of 32,000 prisoners there are currently 33,000 inmates in Bihar jails.
Improvement has been noticed in areas like living conditions be it toilet facilities, food quality or sleeping arrangements. “We have put a television set and at least two fans in each ward of our jails,” the official said adding medical facilities have not only been improved but its access has also been hastened. Monthly health camps are also organised on a regular basis, he added.
He said inmates were shifted from one jail to the other keeping their needs in view. For example, while couples lodged in different jails were brought together, some were sent to jails nearer their home.
Many of them were released on parole (for 15 days) in case of emergencies like daughter’s marriage, property related case or for visiting an ailing spouse. The number of parole cases have swelled since 2010 and the effect is perceptible, said Lal.
Engagements in bakery plant, printing press, soap making, tailoring, handloom textile production has indeed effected this gradual but positive trend, said the official. Besides, Art of living, yoga and meditation classes in these prisons have also helped.
