Editorial : Jail riots
There has been a sudden rise in incidents of jail riots, the latest of which is the uprising of prisoners in Malir District Jail, in which four inmates were killed and around dozen were injured. Similar riots also erupted in Karachi Central Jail, and Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas jails. Why has there been such a sudden uproar by prisoners who are prepared to die in their mutiny attempt?…the answer lies in the standard of life that the prisoners are forced to endure in our jails. Open drains, stinking environment, congestion and a range of illnesses – all these are common features of jails in our country. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), complaints are regularly received regarding inadequate food, poor sanitation and lack of medical care in overcrowded jails. Prisoners throughout the country have time and again staged protests against inhumane conditions in prisons and the provision of unhygienic food. Jail administrations have been known to force prisoners into paying them money for provision of basic facilities, failing to which results in being subjected to brutal torture. In this atmosphere where corruption and bribery thrives, corrupt police officials also provide ‘more’ than just basic facilities to prisoners with more influence after having their palms greased. A poor prisoner, who cannot satisfy the greed of such dirty cops, usually spends a life in jail that is even worse than an animal’s. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who himself has suffered the ordeal of a Pakistani jail for four years, understands the problems inmates face and has expressed his commitment towards resolving this issue. From his own experience, he has termed overcrowding in jails as one of the major issues as it leads to problems such as drug addiction, miserable food, non-availability of space and spreading of various illnesses like skin diseases, hepatitis and tuberculosis. The prime minister has rightly identified the root problem, as Pakistani jails are so overcrowded that thousands are squeezed into a jail that is meant for a few hundred. Another grave issue of Pakistani jails is that of sexual harassment, the victims of which are usually juvenile offenders and women. The government would have to take some worthwhile steps to resolve this issue, as a jail is supposed to serve as a place to reform and rehabilitate lawbreakers and not to turn their life into hell, leaving them bitter and more anti-social than before.