Punjab prison reforms reviewed at CM task force meeting

Lahore – An important meeting of the Chief Minister Punjab Task Force for Prisons was held at the Home Department. Task Force Chairman Rana Manan Khan chaired the meeting.

IG Prisons Mian Salik Jalal, Additional Secretary Prisons Roman Burana, DIG Prisons Shaukat Feroz, Chief Psychologist Prisons Sadia Zafar and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

The meeting received a detailed briefing on the Chief Minister Punjab’s Prison Reforms Agenda. It was informed that under the Chief Minister Punjab Prison Health Programme, every inmate undergoes medical tests as well as a psychological assessment upon admission to prison.

The briefing revealed that 96,110 inmates have undergone health screening so far while psychological assessments and screenings of 107,851 inmates were completed from January to June.

The meeting was informed that the Chief Minister Punjab Literacy Programme has been launched to provide education to inmates in prisons across Punjab. So far, 11,968 inmates have received education under the programme.

For the convenience and welfare of inmates, Chief Minister Punjab Prison Welfare Stores have also been established in all prisons. Inmates have visited these stores 161,489 times with purchases worth Rs. 306 million made so far.

The meeting also reviewed progress on the construction of new women’s prisons in Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi as well as a plan to increase inmate capacity through the construction of new prisons and additional barracks across Punjab.

Task Force Chairman Rana Manan Khan said that efforts are continuing to reform inmates by providing them with a better prison environment and opportunities for training.

He said citizens can book prison visits online from home to meet inmates in prisons across Punjab. So far, more than 60,000 citizens have visited inmates through the “Mulaqat App.”

He added that a modern system has been introduced for the sale of products manufactured by inmates in prison industries enabling their hard work to be converted into economic support.

The Task Force Chairman further said that after Faisalabad, Mianwali and Dera Ghazi Khan, Central Jail Lahore is also being shifted to solar power.

He directed that the installation of modern cameras and other equipment in prisons across Punjab under the Safe Jail Project should be completed at the earliest.