Due to the substandard legal aid in the Byculla Women's Jail, many undertrials are languishing in jail despite being granted bail as they had no financial means to pay for bail bonds.
A team from the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by Chairperson Rekha Sharma, visited the jail for inspection of various aspects including overcrowding, availability of legal help, rehabilitation plans including skill development and training, legal awareness and legal help for women inmates, proper facilities for the children of these inmates among others.
Some of the amenities available in the jail and the sensitivity to women have shown a marked improvement. A separate area was demarcated for lodging inmates who had small children and the inmates were happy with the quality of food provided.
However, a few other amenities, including an efficient legal aid service for undertrials, were still missing.
Furthermore, an institutionalised system or fast-track courts was missing for foreign women inmates who were in prison for such offences as trafficking and drug peddling.
The inspection conducted today is a part of the NCW's ongoing project to visit all jails in the country in order to formulate a manual for comprehensive prison reforms for women inmates in India. A number of other jail inspections have been planned by the Commission for the coming months.
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