F.P. Report
KARACHI: As many as 4,350 prisoners out of 18,440 inmates incarcerated inside the prisons across Sindh, have so far been vaccinated against the COVID-19, besides, the vaccination of around 1,222 staffers of the prison department Sindh has also been performed.
This was briefed in a meeting on prisons’ reforms co-chaired by Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz and Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah at the Sindh Secretariat here on Tuesday.
The meeting further informed that all new inmates inside jails in Sindh including 193 women and 175 juveniles, are tested for the coronavirus.
Senior Advisor Anwar Haider, Senior Advisor Ejaz Qureshi, Member Incharge Sindh AD Khawaja, IG Prisons and other officials of Sindh Home Department were in attendance.
The meeting was briefed about the reforms which are being introduced in the Sindh jails.
The CS Sindh said that the departments of Education, Health and Social Welfare along with the civil society are working for the reforms.
The oversight committees have also been formed under the prison reforms, he said, and added that these oversight committees include the experts from the judiciary, civil society, education and health sectors as well as the philanthropists.
Mumtaz further added that the Prison Management Information System (PMIS) would be launched in this July in 23 jails of the province. The PMIS will improve the monitoring and administration of the prison department, he added.
It was informed that Mirpurkhas Jail has also been given the status of Central Jail. Prisoners are offered a variety of training courses, including fine arts, English, computer, beautician, carpentry, handicraft, and more.
The CS Sindh told the Federal Ombudsman that a high security Prison would be established in Thatta and the Land Utilization Department Sindh had been tasked to identify land for four new jails. It was also informed the meeting that one billion rupees had been earmarked for the rehabilitation and repair of existing jails during current financial year.
