Bhopal: Starting January 1, 2025, women prisoners in Madhya Pradesh will receive hair removal cream once a month and shampoo once a week. This is part of the new provisions under the MP Correctional Services and Prisons Act 2024, which aims to improve personal hygiene and overall living conditions for prisoners.
The decision was made to help women prisoners maintain a basic level of self-care, with officials stating that these measures will allow them to feel more dignified.
These new facilities for women prisoners in Madhya Pradesh
The new regulations also introduce several improvements for all prisoners in the state. Prisoners will now be provided with a fresh salad with every meal and their daily rations of tea, milk, oil and dal will be slightly increased. These changes are expected to improve the quality of food and nutrition in Madhya Pradesh’s correctional facilities.
The new provisions were initially scheduled to be implemented on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2. However, due to delays in fulfilling mandatory requirements, the enforcement has been moved to January 1.
Among the key aspects of the new law are provisions to address overcrowding in jails, which are currently operating at 120% of their capacity. The state’s jails hold 43,000 prisoners, although they are designed to accommodate only 36,000. Of these, approximately 1,900 are women, as reported by Times Of India.
A major focus of the new legislation is to shift the approach toward prisoner rehabilitation. The law emphasizes “understanding and changing the psychology of a criminal” and seeks to provide jail staff with training to handle inmates in a more constructive and rehabilitative manner.
Provisions to enhance security
The new provisions are based on the Union government’s Model Prisons Act 2023, which serves as a template for modernizing correctional services across the country.
The legislation also aims to modernize the prison system through technological upgrades. Administrative processes in prisons will be digitized, and a centralized database will be created, integrating the state’s prison management system with the central government’s computerized platform. This integration is intended to ensure better tracking of prisoners and improved coordination with other correctional institutions across the country.
To enhance security, jail superintendents will be tasked with ensuring regular frisking and periodic searches to seize contraband, including mobile phones. In addition, advanced jamming equipment will be installed, particularly in sections holding high-risk prisoners, to prevent communication with the outside world. The capacity of prison hospitals will also be expanded to better cater to the medical needs of inmates.
A “Prison and Correctional Institution Development Board” will be set up to focus on the modernization and development of prison infrastructure. This board will play a key role in overseeing the improvements and ensuring the smooth implementation of the new laws.
