Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Wednesday said lock-ups in police station houses in the State would soon come under 24-hour security camera surveillance.
Speaking to presspersons at the Central Prison here, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the project would be implemented in the capital city initially.
The surveillance equipment would help supervisory officers monitor lock-ups and deter third-degree measures and mistreatment of detainees.
He said upgraded versions of the surveillance system at the Central Prison here, which includes an array of tamper-proof security cameras and listening devices, would be installed at all district jails, sub-jails and Central prisons in the State.
Such systems would help prison authorities protect the rights of young and new prisoners, who are often vulnerable to sexual abuse and wanton cruelty at the hands of senior convicts. It would help them prevent the trafficking of narcotic substances, detect corrupt practices, and stop the secret use of mobile telephones by convicts.
Additional Director General of Prisons Alexander Jacob said the number of complaints of mistreatment and corruption, posted anonymously in complaint boxes which could be accessed only by the District Judge, had come down from 110 to less than 10 after the installation of the surveillance equipment at the Poojappura prison. He said the perimeter walls of prisons would be further heightened and fortified and topped with electric fences. The Minister said all the 52 jails and 146 courts in the State would be networked for video-conferencing for trial and court hearings on bail pleas.
For instance, persons accused in terrorist cases “appeared” for their cases in Coimbatore and Bangalore via the video-conferencing facilities at Central prisons. The measure would help the government save crores of rupees annually for escorting prisoners to court and back to jails. He said the government would hold consultations with the judiciary to evolve a set of uniform standards to accord parole and remission of sentence to eligible convicts. Home Secretary Sajan Peter was also present.
