A STUDY ON PLIGHT OF WOMEN INMATES LANGUISHING IN JAILS

Women prisoners suffer from greater disabilities than men do. The psychological stress caused by separation from children, the unhelpful attitude of close relations, uncertainty about the future are all factors which make their life miserable in jail. The antiquated manuals, different provisions in different States and Union Territories and insensitive approach of the jail authorities add to their woes. Separate prison for women is a need of time. Till the provision of separate prisons are meted out, separate enclosure with strict seclusion of male inmates within the existing prison complex is to be such that the women inmates are not come into contact to male inmates during their passage to and from these enclosures. Prison Statistics India 2015, National Crime Records Bureau, as on 31/12/2015 shows that there were total 17,834 women prisoners in all the jails of India, out of which 11916 inmates are undertrials, 5740 convicts, 72 detenues and 106 others. It is the small number of women in prisons, in compare to male prisoners, is responsible for their needs being neglected. The position of these women scattered in small clusters in jails, is highly vulnerable. It gives the impression that woman prisoners are in greater need of maintaining requisite facilities such as privacy, security, pregnancy, childbirth and family care, diet, health care, education and recreation for children of female prisoners etc.