Overview
- Punjab’s legislature, which passed the Prisons and Correctional Services Bill on Friday, replaced the 1894 colonial law with a modern framework focused on reentry.
- The law mandates AI-enabled CCTV, biometrics, RFID tracking, video meetings for court, anti-drone tools, and links to e-Prisons and ICJS, national systems that connect prison and court records.
- Security upgrades add high-security zones for high-risk inmates, a new Research, Analysis and Intelligence wing, staff rotation in sensitive posts, tighter anti-contraband checks, and clear procedures for admission, search, transfer, and release.
- Inmate welfare expands with medical units, regular check-ups, screening for TB and HIV, de-addiction and mental health care, education, libraries, vocational training, and tailored provisions for women, transgender people, elderly and sick inmates, pregnant women, and children.
- The jails minister cited overcrowding at about 34,000 inmates against 26,000 capacity, and officials outlined features but did not provide timelines or budgets for the rollout.