PUNE: The first open jail for women in Maharashtra was started at Yerawada central prison on Monday, six months after the state prisons department announced its intention of starting such a project.
The department's deputy inspector general Sobha Ohatker (administration) performed a puja at 10.30 am in the presence of 38 women convicts and jail officials.
Ohatker briefed the inmates on the advantages of an open jail, a comparatively new concept in the country.
Special inspector general of police Uddhav Kamble had put forth the proposal for such a jail and home minister R R Patil had inaugurated the jail on March 14. The women of the open jail will be made to do agricultural work on 17 acres of land adjoining the prison.
According to Yerawada prison superintendent S V Khatavkar, a committee headed by Kamble, the deputy inspector-general and superintendents of the concerned districts have selected the inmates of the jail. They are all serving life sentences for murder.
"Woman who had completed five years of their sentence were considered by the committee on the basis of their good conduct," said Khatavkar. "The women will do farming from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm from Monday to Saturday. They will be given a salary of Rs 17 a day.
Earlier, the women used to make incense sticks, candles, chilli powder, clothes and other products.
There are already three open jails in the state for men, one each at Aurangabad, Morshi and Paithan.
In a regular jail, women prisoners get only seven days' parole or furlough, irrespective of the duration of their sentence. However, in an open jail, those serving life sentences will get a month's furlough, those with sentences varying from five to 15 years will get 20 days' furlough and others will get 15 days.
No comments:
Post a Comment