Home Minister launches e-Prisons software

A Reporter

SHILLONG, April 26: Meghalaya Home Minister James P K Sangma launched the e-Prisons software at District Jail in Shillong on Thursday.

Addressing the gathering, James P K Sangma said Meghalaya is one of the first few States in the Northeast to have launched the E-Prisons software and added that the inauguration in Shillong Jail is only a humble beginning.

Expressing confidence, Sangma said that the process of digitization and modernization would also be implemented in rest of the prisons across the State.

The minister said that prisons should be correctional and reformation centers and the inmates should be treated with humanity while providing vocational and other skill development trainings, so that they could integrate with the society after their release and lead a fruitful life as law-abiding citizens.

“The prisons should focus on providing rehabilitation so that they can integrate with the mainstream society,” the Home Minister said.

There is also a need of constituting a Central jail to separate the hardcore criminals and under-trial prisoners.

The minister said: “The State government is committed to the modernization of jails. Efforts are on to have video conferencing facility in every jail in the State to reduce the need of transportation of prisoners to the courts during trial. Free-legal aid services are also being provided to the prisoners.”

Sangma said that the e-Prisons software would digitize not only the record keeping of the jail, but would also bring transparency and accountability in the functioning of the jails.

Earlier, during his speech, Director General of Prisons R P Agarwal said that e-Prisons would computerize and integrate all the activities related to prison and prisoner management in the jails and would also provide vital information about the inmates to the prison officials. It would also facilitate and manage visits, jail administration and grievance redressal, he added. e-Prisons developed by NIC is a cloud-based product designed with easy to use Graphical User Interface (GUI) and embedded with a comprehensive security measures, providing a national-integrated information about inmates.