Bhubaneswar: The state government has formed a three-member committee to look into the health condition of prisoners across the state. The committee of experts will physically visit all the major jails of the state soon to enquire the ambience inside the jails.
The state government took the decision following the directions of the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) a few months back. The National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) reports also revealed that the state is second in the country with maximum number of mentally ill inmates in all 90 jails across the state.
As per the NCRB report of 2017, As many as 787 prisoners kept in the jails of the state were reportedly suffering from mental illness. Out of that, 412 convicts, lodged in various jails of the state, have been suffering from mental illness. As many as 375 under-trials were found to be suffering from some sort of mental illness.
The number dropped to 677 including 348 convicts and 329 under trials who were suffering from mental disorders in 2018. However, the state still tops the list in the country in terms of percentage of mental-ill prisoners. Some big states with much higher prison population have recorded much less number of mentally-ill inmates in 2018.
Orissa POST in various news reports also exposed the absence of doctors or psychiatrists in the various jails following which Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra had asked the authorities to take steps to engage allopathic doctors in jails.
The committee formed by state government will inspect whether regular mental health check up of the inmates is being done by the experts and specialists. It will try to find out whether proper counselling sessions are being conducted for the inmates of different jails.
It will inspect about the organisation of entertainment, spiritual and devotional programmes inside the jails for the inmates at regular intervals. Similarly, it will oversee whether the inmates are getting free legal aid and regular monitoring of their food and hygienic condition by the competent authorities.