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At least half of Maharashtra’s prisoners are being granted temporary parole to help stem the spread of COVID-19. This, however, doesn't include inmates who are accused or convicted in UAPA, MCOCA, PMLA or other stringent acts.
As COVID-19 cases in Mumbai soar past the 15,000-mark, rapid spread of infection in the city’s jails has been one of the biggest concerns of the Maharashtra government. On Tuesday, 12 May, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced that the Maharashtra government has decided to grant temporary parole to 17,000 inmates lodged in different jails.
Reacting to the state government’s move, former Director General of prisons in Maharashtra, Meeran Chadha Borwankar said the step would definitely help.
The state government’s announcement comes after around 185 inmates in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail tested positive for COVID-19 in May. Located opposite Kasturba hospital, the Arthur Road jail has a capacity of 804 inmates. However, when the first case was detected inside the jail in the first week of May, there were 3,700 inmates lodged in it. This massive overcrowding appears to have contributed to the spread of infection in one barrack of the jail.
The first case from the jail emerged when an inmate was taken to a hospital by two police officials due to a medical emergency. Eventually, all three tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the authorities to test other inmates of the jail. To control the infection from spreading further, many inmates were shifted to Taloja jail, some were granted interim bail and those infected were shifted to quarantine facilities.
On 9 May, a 54-year-old inmate from the Byculla women’s jail also tested positive for COVID-19. While the jail’s capacity is approximately 260 inmates, at least 380 inmates were lodged in it until recently.
With COVID-19 here to stay in the foreseeable future, decongesting jails could be the only way to ensure the safety of inmates and jail staff. Anticipating the crisis, in April, the Supreme Court had directed states to decongest jails in order to avoid the spread of the infection among prisoners.
So, what are the measures that need to be taken in the long run to avoid infection in jails?
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