Conditions of jails in Pakistan

Conditions of jails in Pakistan: International wars on terror have endangered the life of common man very badly every where. Even a suspected that is brought to jail could be tortured the way the authorities and their tenement jails want, more so the so-called “suspected” or “potential” “terrorists”. There has been outcry over the docile conditions prevailing, like in any other country, in Pakistani jails. Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, announced for stabilizing the Pakistan policy through addressing the issue steps by step. Issues of economic, politics, regional stability, terrorism, security and structural changes are being taken up for administering reforms. One of the burning issues, the jail reforms that evaded the rulers in Pakistan too long endangering the lives of less important people thrown into jails, has received due attention in the present Gilani’s dispensation.
Over crowding is almost the solo biggest problem playing the jail system in Pakistan. Besides suffering the agong of living in extremely cramped quarters, prisoners charged with petty crimes come into contact with hardened out lows. Ultimately the minor offender leaves jails itched by his experience and armed with the knowledge needed to begin a career in heavy weight crime.
Drug abuse is another rampant. The involvement of police personnel in the drug business has made the prisoners easy to be indulged in the drug addictions. Meanwhile, negligence or, oversight, on the part of jail staff leaves inmates, particularly the younger ones at the mercy of sexual predators. The changing weather conditions are not combater by suitable arrangements to facilitate the prisoners in avoiding the bad impacts of seasonal variation and temperature conditions.
The inhuman and degrading treatment caused by over crowding, corruption and nepotism in Pakistan, have undermined the minimum standards prescribed under the international instruments and the steps that would conform the fundamental rights. The constitution of Pakistan, Article 9, guarantees that no prisoner shall be deprived of life and liberty save in accordance with low, while article is provide freedom of movement though all the prisons in Pakistan are facing the problem of housing inmates for exceeding the number than that what each of them was originally designed for, but the situation in southern Punjab and KPS in more irksome that the other regions of the country.
The condition of children and women is far bad than expectation. No education facility for children is available. The women are treated beyond the laws and threatened by the jail authorities. Moreover no suitable facility for the pregnancy is available. A comprehensive plan to change the prisoner’s fate is required.
When the police custody and jail situations are alarmingly explosive world wide especially in democracies like India, it is indeed remarkable that Gillani has volunteered to affect much need reforms to clean up jail atmosphere in Pakistan. The way impression should created to show that jails need not be so bad just because the inmates are undergoing punishment. In this regard, encouraging the non-governmental organization, by giving them appropriate incentives and privatizing certain selected services may be an alternative.