Prison admn for jails’ security audit biennially

The UP Prisons Administration and Reform Services is preparing a proposal for the security audit of every jail after every two years. This, they hope, will plug security lapses that develop with time, said senior prison officials.

The move follows the daring escape of two under-trials from the Rae Bareli district jail. Prison officials said that the security audit proposal will soon be sent to the state government for clearance. Director general (prisons) Anand Kumar said that prison officials are carrying out a survey across 72 prisons in the state before finalising the security audit proposal to the state government. “Although no changes could be done in the design and layout of old jails, some constraints, which develop with time, can be removed making small changes,” he said.

He said that most jails in the state have old buildings which were built as per the pattern of those times, so it is very likely some constraints develop. He said that a regular security audit of jails after every two years may help strengthen security in jails.

Another prison official, who is privy to the development, said that the security audit mainly

comprises checking the drain passage coming out of jails— whether it can be used to escape from jails, checking the strength and height of boundary walls, and the ground inside the jail premises as well as availability of any instrument that could be used to dig a tunnel.

He said many times it happens that the drain passage gets widened due to the flow of water or plaster and bricks of its walls get removed which can easily be widened further to plan an escape.