May 12, 2016

All state institutions require monitoring. Closed ones even more so. Letting the outside in is particularly essential in prisons where the state has complete control over the lives of those who have lost their liberty. The prison visiting system, comprised of official and civilian visitors, is the oversight mechanism that lets the outside in. It serves as a check on oppression and violations by authority and as a means to ensure there is some independent scrutiny of the conditions of the imprisoned whose access to means of assistance, available to the free, is stringently controlled.

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative has released a report on prison monitoring in India. Here’s a brief glimpse and the full report. Be warned our findings are not heartening.

For more information please contact: Mrinal@humanrightsinitiative.org

Tags:  Jails | Prisons | Prison visiting system