Prisoners should get skill training to improve job prospects after release: Union minister

Jaipur, Sep 26 (PTI) Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Thursday said prisoners should be taught skills based on their educational qualifications to improve their chances of getting a job after release.

The central government has introduced the Model Prison Act 2023 which focuses on the reform and rehabilitation of prisoners, Kumar, who is the Minister of State for Home Affairs, said.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the 4th National Conference on Uniformed Women in Prison Administration on behalf of the Bureau of Police Research and Development, Central Intelligence Training Institute under the home ministry here.

In a statement, he said under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the 130-year-old Prison Act 1894 has been replaced by a new prison law.

He said the number of women officers and employees in the prison administration has increased in the last few years. Women are also working as wardens, jailers, sentries and ensuring the security of prisons, he said.

According to the prison statistics for 2022, there are currently 63,578 prison officers and employees, out of which 8,674 are women, he said, adding that the number of women prisoners in the country was 23,772.

A reasonable proportion of the prison budget should be set aside for skill development activities for the inmates. In this, the cooperation of National State Skill Development Corporations and industries can also be beneficial, he said.

Kumar stressed the need for a conscious policy to improve the prison organisation to achieve the objective of turning prisons into a safe place for inmates so that the focus can be on the reform and rehabilitation of prisoners and making them law-abiding citizens.

Apart from emphasising the social and moral values for reintegration into society, the need for educational, recreational and vocational education facilities for prisoners should be in focus, he said. PTI AG RHL