J&K govt to open prisons in every district

The Jammu and Kashmir government plans to build prisons in every district of the state in next four years to ease pressure on the existing jails, director general of prison's Ashok Bhan has said.

The move is aimed at decongesting the existing jails, Bhan said at a function here at Central Jail Kot Bhalwal yesterday.
 
He said the capacity of the Hiranagar jail has been increased three-folds from 25 to 75 persons which will ease congestion at Samba and Jammu prisons. 

Similarly, a separate prison will be build in Kupwara where prisoners belonging to the area, who are currently lodged at Baramulla and Srinagar prisons, would be shifted.  

Also, a strategy has been adopted to streamline the functioning of prisons with focus on improving professional capacities of the jail staff and imparting vocational training to the jail inmates, he said.
 
The development of human resources to enhance professional competence of the jailers is imperative for improving the functioning of prisons, he said, adding for the purpose various training courses are being organised in Police Academy periodically.
 
Giving details of the training courses, he said that computer education is being provided to prisoners at Central Jail Kot Bhalwal in Jammu and Central Jail in Srinagar, while department of continuing/extension education has been roped in to provide education to the jail inmates.