CURTAIN RAISER: NHRC National Workshop on “Best Practices- Prisons” at the Commission on 21st December, 2018. (20.12.2018)

New Delhi, 20th December, 2018

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC is organizing a day long Workshop on “Best practices- Prison” at Manav Adhikar Bhawan, on the 21st of December, 2018. The Workshop, being chaired by Mr. Justice H.L. Dattu, Chairperson NHRC.

The objective of the Workshop is to have a presentation on Best Practices/ initiatives regarding Prisons and their impacts on the respective Prison Administration in the State. The said Best Practices will be compiled into a compendium on Best Practices of Prisons to be disseminated to the other States.

The participants of the Workshop will be the DG Prisons or their representatives from the 12 participating States which are Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Delhi, Telanagana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh along with reputed NGOs and officials from Ministry of Home Affairs.

One of the functions of the NHRC under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 is to visit any jail or any other institutions under the control of State Government where persons are detained or lodged for the purpose of treatment, reformation or protection and to study the living conditions.

The Commission has made numerous valuable recommendations to bring about not only improvements and reform in the Prison administration but also in the entire criminal justice system itself. The Commission had recently organized an Open House on Prison Reforms wherein 57 recommendations were sent to all the States and an Action taken report taken therein was requested.

Therefore, the Commission, in its endeavor to raise concerns on the condition of Prisons, has been organizing various Open House Discussions on Prison Reforms along with a formation of Committee working on the Amendment to Prison Act of 1894. The Commission had also organized a National Seminar on Prisons.

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