As such, social distancing is a harsh reality for jailbirds. But the COVID-19 has ended, at least temporarily, whatever connection the jail inmates were allowed to have with their families.
Since the advent of human rights and rights of prisoners, the physical well being of convicts and undertrial prisoners has become top most priority for jail managements, notwithstanding the occasional custodial death or death of a prisoner. As part of their rights, the inmates are allowed to meet their near and dear ones during the daily ‘mulakat’ session.
Given the scare of COVID-19, the government has suspended the mulakat provision unless it is necessary. The undertrial prisoners are also not required to be produced in courts as the latter have suspended routine work and taking up cases which need urgent attention.
“We stopped mulakats starting March 17 to keep the inmates for their own safety. Foolproof safety from the virus is also ensured as we are insisting on screening and sanitising everybody who needs to go out or come in unavoidably,” divulged Deputy Jail Superintendent of Adilabad District Jail Roopani Shobhan Babu as he talked of the measures taken to keep the 150 inmates ‘safe’ from the deadly virus.
Everyday, about 25 to 30 mulakat slots were made available by jail authorities to relatives. It meant some 50 people used to visit the undertrial or convict inmates.
“We are allowing only those who ‘must’ meet an inmate. The risk is being done away with screening and sanitation of such people,” the jail official added.
The inmates also tend vegetable farms within the jail premises. Mr. Shobhan Babu pointed out that the farms are located within the restricted four walls of the jail and hence there was no issue of virus contamination.
While Adilabad district jail is the only such detention centre in the district there are three sub-jails at Nirmal, Luxettipet and Asifabad where also the district jail kind of social distancing has begun. The one at Asifabad has 40 to 50 inmates while the sub-jail at Nirmal houses 30 to 40 and the one at Luxettipet accommodates 20 to 30 undertrial prisoners and convicts at present.
