Andhra jails to have multi-party conferencing facility

Jails in Andhra Pradesh plan to implement multi-party conferencing facilities. Thro-ugh this initiative, convicts in different jails across the state or country and officials from different locations involved in trial of cases will be connected to the magistrate via video conferencing facility.

This means, prison authorities will not be required to transport jail inmates to courts for trials, thus bringing in savings in time and cost. Besides, a case which has national implications may require the involvement of officials from different cities. This initiative will ensure ease in solving such cases.

"In the next three-four months, a tender will be floated by the Andhra Pradesh Technology Services for multi-party conferencing facility," said R P Singh, director general of prisons and correctional services, Andhra Pradesh.

The jails in Andhra Pradesh have already implemented video conferencing facility in association with Polycom, a provider of converged voice, video, web, and data solutions for broadband networks.

Andhra Pradesh is the first state in the country to introduce electronic pre-trials. Maharashtra and Karnataka prisons have also been using Polycom's systems for telejustice purposes.

Polycom expects telejustice to contribute 10 per cent of the company's revenues in India by 2007, as compared with 2-3 per cent now, according to Yugal Sharma, country manager, India and Saarc, Polycom.

It oversees seven central prisons, nine district jails, two women's prisons, one vocational training centre for juvenile convicts and 120 sub-jails for inmates serving less than one month or awaiting pre-trial.

The company is also in talks with state governments of Bihar and northeast regions for SWAN (state wide area network) projects.