Security and surveillance at the Borstal School in Pudukottai accommodating young convicted offenders and the District Jail in that town, both functioning within the same complex, would be tightened if the prison authorities’ proposal for establishing surveillance cameras in both places gets the nod. Two surveillance cameras have been proposed for the District Jail, accommodating nearly 100 prisoners, and one camera for the Borstal School housing 24 adolescent offenders in the 18-23 age group, a majority of whom are convicted.
A detailed plan justifying the establishment of surveillance cameras in these places was forwarded to the prison headquarters in Chennai recently to be forwarded to the State government to obtain its sanction. With a lone entry and exit point, the District Jail and Borstal School function in a single complex with a partition. At present, there is only one surveillance camera that has been installed at the main gate and connected to the Superintendent of Prison’s chamber to monitor the movements.
Installation of cameras in Borstal School and District Jail would enable jail officials to monitor the movements taking place within these two places even more closely.
Young offenders convicted by courts under Section 8 (1) of the Tamil Nadu Borstal Act are confined in the Borstal School at Pudukottai.
A few years ago, the State government converted 10 sub-jails functioning in different places into Borstal Schools to accommodate pre-convicted adolescent offenders.
