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"content": "rehabilitating the offenders. So, the whole aim is that particular one. It also talks about juvenile offenders not being put in custody with adult persons and so on. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have the standard rules on this issue which this Committee is going to deal with. I would ask them to look carefully at the various provisions of the standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners. There, they will find very many rules, more than 70 rules but each rule may have 10 sub-rules and so on. Rules which deal with different categories of prisoners, which deal with the requirement of health, which the buildings must take into account, the climatic conditions, the cubic content of air, the minimum floor space, ventilation and et cetera. It talks about providing adequate bathing and shower; sanitary installation, clothing which must be clean. It also talks about each prisoner having a separate bed, not just lying on the floor on a mattress, having a separate bed with proper blankets which are clean and so on. It talks about providing exercise, regular visits by medical officers. It also talks about library and just like the international covenant on civil and political rights, it talks about treatment of prisoners which falls under Article 66 of those minimum rules, which states:- “Treatment of prisoners shall have its purpose to establish in them, the will to lead law abiding, self supporting lives after their release.” Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that is where I would recommend that the Committee may think of reviving what used to be called Ex-prisoners Welfare Association. It used to be very active, looking after the ex-prisoners if they have settled in, how they are getting on, and what their welfare is and so on. Nowadays, nobody hears of the activities of such an association, if ever there is such an activity. That is why I would recommend that either that association is revived or the Government puts in place a department which will look after the welfare of ex-prisoners. When I talk about “welfare”, this means to o ensure that they are rehabilitated in the society, to ensure that they have some minimum ways of earning a living so that they do not go back to what they were before. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the way the system is now, in fact, when you send a young person into prison, he will come out a more hardened prisoner and a hard core prisoner. That is not the aim. The aim should be that when he comes out, he is able to fit in the society and he has the will to live a decent law abiding life. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, various speakers have mentioned the alignment of the law in accordance with the international standards. That is not a very difficult task. To me, the bigger task of this Committee is going to be policy. In fact, it is going to be how to raise money in order to meet those standards. Governments all over the world, because of the competing needs in the society will obviously focus on the needs of those law abiding citizens; the need for education and others, so much so that as far as prison is concerned, there is a very low priority on budgeting for prisons. In fact, somebody will tell you; why should we budget a lot for criminals? Somebody would tell you a prison is not a five star hotel. I recollect when you talk about hotels that in 1996, I was invited by the French Government to go to France and I did visit their latest prisons, and I can tell you their latest prisons in terms of accommodation, facilities and food were far much better than a four star hotel in France where I was staying. When we talk about international standards, The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}