Orissa High Court Considers Expanding Open Prisons for Rehabilitation | Bhubaneswar News
Cuttack: The Orissa high court has initiated suo motu proceedings to examine the possibility of establishing more open prisons across the state, expanding beyond the existing Biju Patnaik open air ashram in Khurda district.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho directed prison authorities to submit a feasibility report by Dec 5, while hearing a PIL regarding jail-related issues in the state.
“The Court expects the Director General of Prisons & Correctional Services to consider the feasibility of having more open jails and open colonies in the state,” the bench stated.
The initiative comes on the heels of Chief Justice Singh’s recent visit to the Biju Patnaik open air ashram, which currently houses 50 inmates against its capacity of 125. The facility accommodates male prisoners serving rigorous imprisonment terms of 10 years or more, focusing on their reformation and social reintegration.
Open prisons differ from traditional correctional facilities by allowing inmates to leave the prison for certain hours only to return before evening. This would help them support themselves and their families through gainful employment. The HC is examining the possibility of establishing open colonies, a type of open prison, inmates are allowed to live with their families, giving opportunities for employment and self-sufficiency to promote family unity and prepare inmates for life after release.
The concept of open prisons aims to reduce psychological pressure on inmates and facilitate their integration into mainstream society. Under this system, prisoners serve their sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security, rather than being confined to cells.
The court’s intervention seeks to expand this rehabilitative approach across Odisha, potentially transforming the state’s correctional system to focus more on reformation than punishment.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho directed prison authorities to submit a feasibility report by Dec 5, while hearing a PIL regarding jail-related issues in the state.
“The Court expects the Director General of Prisons & Correctional Services to consider the feasibility of having more open jails and open colonies in the state,” the bench stated.
The initiative comes on the heels of Chief Justice Singh’s recent visit to the Biju Patnaik open air ashram, which currently houses 50 inmates against its capacity of 125. The facility accommodates male prisoners serving rigorous imprisonment terms of 10 years or more, focusing on their reformation and social reintegration.
Open prisons differ from traditional correctional facilities by allowing inmates to leave the prison for certain hours only to return before evening. This would help them support themselves and their families through gainful employment. The HC is examining the possibility of establishing open colonies, a type of open prison, inmates are allowed to live with their families, giving opportunities for employment and self-sufficiency to promote family unity and prepare inmates for life after release.
The concept of open prisons aims to reduce psychological pressure on inmates and facilitate their integration into mainstream society. Under this system, prisoners serve their sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security, rather than being confined to cells.
The court’s intervention seeks to expand this rehabilitative approach across Odisha, potentially transforming the state’s correctional system to focus more on reformation than punishment.
