Bihar's first open jail to be set up in Buxar

Patna (PTI): Bihar's first open jail with a capacity to house 100 inmates would be set up at Buxar and the state's prisons act and jail manual would be suitably amended to develop the prisons as reformatories.

A high-level meeting chaired by chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday night approved in principle the setting up of the open prison at Buxar where the convicts would be able to live with their families in an atmosphere conducive to development of their skills and talent so that they could make useful contributions to the society, official sources said today.

The conduct, the period already spent by them in jail and other such things would be taken into account before they were transferred to the open jail, the sources said.

The inmates of the open jail would be allowed to roam about freely during daytime and their attendance would be taken twice in the morning and at night.

Sources said necessary rules and regulations would be framed soon.

The meeting also resolved to constitute a committee chaired by chief secretary A K Chaudhary to recommend suitable amendments to the Bihar Prisons Act, 1894 and Bihar Jail Manual 1924.

Kumar stressed the need for improving basic amenities like housing, food, drinking water and toilets in the jails for which he said the proposed committee would study the recommendations of earlier panels constituted for this purpose

The chief minister said there was a pressing need for improvement in the living conditions of the prisoners due to large-scale convictions being made after beginning of speedy trial process during his regime.

The meeting was attended among others by chief secretary, principal secretary (home) Afzal Amanullah and IG (prisons) Sandeep Paundrik.