Women inmates in UP jails can wear mangalsutra; new manual introduces sweeping changes

Married women will now be able to wear their mangalsutra and observe festivals like Karva Chauth, Teej etc., in Uttar Pradesh jails. A new jail manual approved by the UP cabinet earlier this week, has made some drastic changes to the rules, offering a slew of benefits,  ranging from providing birth registration facility, crèches and nurseries for children born to women inmates to the introduction of new festive food items in the menu.

Importantly, the new jail manual provides for for new firearms like 9mm pistol and carbine etc., for security in jails and riot gear for staff.

The new jail manual has essentially dropped antiquated and impractical provisions of the 1941 British rule book. Adopting a more humane approach towards jail inmates, the new jail manual allows married women, earlier permitted to only wear their bangles and nose rings, to now have on their mangalsutra as well. They will also have access now to sanitary napkins, coconut oil and shampoo.

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Children born in jail can also have a naming ceremony besides having their birth registered and get their mandated vaccinations. Special arrangements will be made for education of women prisoners’ children (up to 3-6 yrs of age), after which, they will be sent to schools outside the jail. Children’s parks are also going to be set up to give them a different setting other than the barracks.

Expectant and nursing mothers will receive all care and extra-nutritious diet besides medical facilities, said news reports.

A brand new menu

Prison food will take on a new meaning, as the prisoners will get a new food menu, which will include chatni and tea and biscuits everyday; ‘kadi chawal’ will be served once a month and special meals will be provided on festivals like Holi, Diwali/other national festivals and special meals will be allowed to prisoners while observing different fasts.

There will be sewayin (vermicilli) for Eid and Bakri-id, while kheer (rice pudding) will be given for Holi and Diwali. Muslim inmates will get dates during fasting.

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There will also be audio-visual programmes for education and entertainment. Relatives and spouses of inmates can meet them once a week. Also, undertrial prisoners will not be handcuffed or chained or kept in solitary confinement.

The new manual provides for new firearms like 9mm pistol and carbine etc., for security in jails and riot gear to staff. It classifies the state’s prisons into four categories depending on the population of inmates. Prisons having more than 2,000 inmates fall in A category and those having less than 1,000 inmates are in D category. Prisons with 1,500-2,000 and 1,000-1,500 inmates will fall in B and C categories, respectively.

The new manual also facilitates computerising all the information about jail inmates.