Emphasizing the need to bring sweeping reforms in the jail administration, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said jails should not be torture centres.

Chairing the maiden meeting of the Prisons department here at Punjab Bhawan this evening, the CM said the primary goal should be to reform the inmates including hardcore criminals, gangsters and drug addicts so as to bring them into the mainstream.

He said jails should be made reformative houses to provide counselling to the inmates for correctional interventions so that they could become ideal citizens of society to lead a life with dignity after serving their term of imprisonment.

Mann Said all the inmates should be treated alike regardless of their social status or position. At the same time, he asked the jail officials to accord topmost priority to safeguarding the human rights of inmates.

The CM exhorted the officers of the Prisons Department to work cohesively to the best of their capacities and capabilities to showcase the Punjab jail system as number one across the country.

“You should further excel to surpass the standards of the Telangana model of the prison system and be assured of all support including requisite manpower, latest IT-based technology and adequate funds,” he said.

Mann said prisoners should be given basic facilities like medical, proper hygiene and quality food as per the jail manual.

Showing concern over the law and order situation, Mann also asked the officers of the prison department to further intensify their efforts to improve the functioning of jails across the state and a strict vigil should be kept round the clock to prevent the illegal use of mobile phones in jails for crimes outside besides stamping out corruption with a heavy hand.

Earlier welcoming Mann, the jails minister Harjot Singh Bains highlighted the various issues faced by the jail officials in the implementation of efficient jail management. He requested the CM to immediately fill the slot of Managing Director Punjab Police Housing Corporation as the post is lying vacant for over one month, which has led to several projects of the Jails department to a grinding halt.

Bains also urged the CM to make a budgetary provision for the construction of modern jail at Mohali in the annual budget for 2022-23.

Apprising the Chief Minister about the challenges faced by the Prison Department, principal secretary Jails DK Tiwari said that there was a huge shortage of staff and a high risk of prisoners with a unique mix of organized crime criminals, gangsters, terrorists, fundamentalists, narco-terror accused, drug crime accused and drug addicts.

 He sought the recruitment of specialist staff for IT, legal matters, accounts and psychologists to ensure efficacious functioning of the jails department