Staff Correspondent

The current administration is working to make all prisons in Bangladesh transparent and accountable.

Keeping mind with this theme "Keep the prisoners safe and show the path of light", various reform initiatives have already been taken to make the Bangladesh Prison Department a humane service-oriented institution and several more steps are in the process, which are highlighted here.

These were stated in a press conference on Monday at the Prison Department at Bakshibazar in the city.

The written statement said, various initiatives based on modern technology have been taken to improve the quality of prisoner management. Notable among them are:- (a) Launching a hotline to collect any information related to prisoners nationwide (b) Launching digital visitor management to reduce the suffering of prisoners during interviews (c) Launching comprehensive prisoner management software to simplify internal prisoner management. In which, PC cash, telephone conversations, canteen management and medical matters of prisoners will be included and will be controlled through RFID step by step. (d) Making it mandatory for prison officers and employees on duty at important places to use bodycams (3) Bringing 69 prisons under their own fiber network connectivity is expected to play a major role in modernizing prison management and strengthening security. (f) Large prisons have been brought under solar power. In addition to ensuring round-the-clock access to electricity, the government will also save a huge amount of revenue.

The presence of excess prisoners compared to the capacity is an ongoing problem in prisons in Bangladesh. In order to increase this capacity, Sylhet Central Jail-2 (known as Metropolitan Jail) has already been opened and an initiative to open another special prison in Keraniganj is under process. Initiatives have also been taken to expand several old prisons including Rangpur and Rajshahi. The process of building a central prison hospital is also awaiting final approval to ensure safe and advanced medical services for prisoners. An initiative has been taken to install ankle bands with modern GPS trackers to make the movement of prisoners outside the prison safe and risk-free.

Above all, strict instructions have been issued to the jail superintendents and DIGs to ensure that prisoners are provided with food and other facilities according to their availability without any financial transaction. In this regard, no exemption is being given to officers and employees who violate the rules and the violators are being brought to justice very quickly. As a result, in the last 07 (seven) months, 12 people have been dismissed from service, 06 people have been forced to retire, 84 people have been temporarily suspended, 270 people have been punished for various periods, departmental cases have been filed against 260 people, 29 people have been summoned to explain, 21 people have been given final warnings, 39 people have been transferred immediately and 102 people have been transferred outside the department for administrative reasons. In this regard, the Prison Headquarters is confirming that the current administration has not hesitated in taking action against any kind of complaint with proof and will not do so in the future.

The current administration has taken various steps to increase the morale of the prison officers and employees as well as to enhance their professional skills. One of them is the appointment of honest, qualified, hardworking individuals to important positions and establishments without any financial transactions. Other important steps include creating 1899 new posts to solve the manpower problem, unblocking the promotion of senior officers after 14 years, taking steps to ensure the earned leave of officers and employees, arranging for the expression of opinions at all levels through Protsya Apps, bringing those who have been working in the same place for a long time and are syndicating irregularities under the posting system, formulating new training policies for all posts, finalizing the draft of the new recruitment rules after taking everyone's opinions, providing increased support to officers and employees under the health scheme, increasing incentives under the family security scheme, ensuring the presence of officers and employees at work through Team Tracker. In addition, the draft of Bangladesh Prisons and Correction Services Acts has also been finalized. Initiatives have been taken to reorganize the prison intelligence unit. Initiatives have also been taken to increase the support activities of the officers and employees of the prison department by increasing the activities of the Prison Welfare Association.

Despite the reforms mentioned in such a short time, some of the beneficiaries of the last 15 years, dishonest officials and prisoners, in collaboration with some dishonest people from outside, are trying to destroy the image of the department by inciting various institutions, organizations and individuals to spread negative news, propaganda, false and harassing false and unrealistic incidents about the prison.

Due to which confusion is also spreading in the public mind about the prison. In this regard, the Prisons Department would like to inform you in a voiceless voice that the prison headquarters is working tirelessly to eliminate irregularities and corruption in the internal management of the prison. In the last 03 months, 275 quick search operations have been conducted in Keraniganj prison alone to free the prison from drugs and mobile phones, and as a result, a large amount of cash, a significant number of small button phones and drugs have been recovered from inside the prison.

In addition, several attempts to introduce drugs into the prison have been foiled due to the activities of the administration.