RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 57

GROUP 2
PRACTICAL MEASURES TO IMPROVE PRISON CONDITIONS
Chairperson
Co-Chairperson
Rapporteur
Co-Rapporteur
Members

Advisers

Mr. Sikeli Dau Tamani
Mr. J. B. Negi
Mr. Babu Ram Regmi
Ms. Noriko Ota
Mr. Marwan Adli
Mr. Yosia Baba
Mr. Akira Yokoi
Prof. Chikara Satou
Prof. Shinya Watanabe

I. INTRODUCTION
Reviewing current issues in correctional
treatment in the world, one of the
problems is the improvement of prison
conditions. The issue of prison conditions
is very important because it relates to thehuman rights of prisoners in correctional
institutions.
On this point, the Standard Minimum
Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners(herein after referred to as “SMRs”)
adopted by the First United Nations
Congress on the Prevention of Crime andthe Treatment of Offenders, defines thestandard of institutional treatment(including prison conditions) in detail andhas served as the basic guidelines thatmust be satisfied by each country.
However, many countries are confronted
with problems which hinder the fulfillmentof this standard.
Given these circumstances, Group 2 firsttakes a general review of the international
instruments regarding prison conditions,and how domestic legislation is describedbased on the SMRs and what the actual
situation of prison conditions is in theparticipating countries of our group,particularly on accommodation, hygiene
and medical services, clothing and bedding,and food.

396(Fiji)(India)(Nepal)(Japan)(Indonesia)(Japan)(Japan)(UNAFEI)(UNAFEI)

Then, Group 2 also analyzes the maincauses which impede the implementationof the SMRs and its influences on prisoners.
Finally, some measures to improve prison
conditions are examined from both alegislative and practical point of view.
II. STANDARDS AND NORMSREGARDING PRISON CONDITIONSThe SMRs is well-known as theinternational standard regarding thetreatment of prisoners including prison
conditions. In this section, our group firsts
takes a general view of human rights inprison and then describes the historicalbackground and legal nature of the SMRs
and discusses the interpretation of“Standard Minimum” in the SMRs and its
adaptation to practice.
A. Human Rights in Prison
Human rights are the basic rights ofhuman beings and no person should be
deprived of such rights. The protection ofhuman rights is guaranteed by some
important international instruments andshould not regress. This fundamental
principle is also applied to prisoners incustody in correctional facilities and should
be respected fully as long as it does notharm the purposes of their incarceration.
Making an effort to attain this goal is115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
expected to lead to the improvement ofprison conditions.
In this connection, some basic principles
regarding the treatment of prisoners
including prison conditions are mentioned
in the international instruments. For
example, the important provisions relating
to prison conditions can be found in theInternational Covenant on Civil andPolitical Rights as follows:
Article 7
Article 7 prescribes the prohibition of
torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment, stating “ No one
shall be subjected to torture or to cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment. In particular, no men shallbe subjected without his free consent tomedical or scientific experimentation.”
Article10, Paragraph 1
Article10, Paragraph 1 prescribes thetreatment of all persons deprived of theirliberty, stating “All persons deprived of
their liberty shall be treated with humanity
and with respect for the inherent dignityof the human person.”B. Standard Minimum Rules for theTreatment of Prisoners
1. Historical Background
The SMRs was adopted at the first
United Nations Congress on the Preventionof Crime and Treatment of Offenders, heldin Geneva in 1955. On 31 July, 1957, theEconomic and Social Council of the United
Nations adopted these rules.
2. Legal Nature
The SMRs is not a treaty and is notlegally binding. Taking account of legal,social, economic and geographicalconditions, the SMRs has the meaning of
the international standard that eachgovernment should give favorable

consideration to adopting and applying itin the administration of their penal
institutions.
3. Interpretation of “Standard
Minimum” of the SMRs and its
Adaptation to Practice
It is quite a basic question as to at whichlevel “Standard Minimum” of the SMRs
should be located. On this point, The SMRs
does not describe it explicitly, with Rule 2
only stating that “.......the minimum
conditions which are accepted as suitableby the United Nations” and it seems todepend on the interpretation of theprovision. In connection with an aspectthat the public is very sensitive to at whichlevel prison conditions are, this issue isconsidered worth discussion. Thus, Group
2 discussed the interpretation of “Standard
Minimum” of the SMRs and its Adaptation
to the Practice in Respective Countries.
In terms of the interpretation of“Standard Minimum” of the SMRs, there
are two opinions presented in our Group;(i) it is considered “the level of minimum”
to the letter to be observed by each country
in consideration of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and(ii) it is deemed to signify the living
standards of the outside people inrespective countries. However, in the latter
perspective, it is quite difficult to satisfy
such a “Standard Minimum” in mostcountries, especially taking into
consideration the different level of
economic situation or other. Therefore, ourGroup considers the “Standard Minimum”
as a relative standard, while indicating theminimum conditions to be observed byrespective countries so that inmates may
be treated as human beings, and is theguidance for realizing the betterment ofprison conditions in its adaptation,according to the circumstances inrespective countries.

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 57
III. DOMESTIC LEGISLATIONREGARDING PRISON CONDITIONS
AND ACTUAL SITUATION OF
PRISON CONDITIONS IN THE
PARTICIPATING COUNTRIESGroup 2 focused on the four areas; 1)
accommodation, 2) hygiene and medical
services, 3) clothing and bedding and 4)
food, which are considered importantfactors of prison conditions. Here, the legal
provisions and the actual situation
regarding the above mentioned areas in our
respective countries are discussed.
A. Accommodation
1. SignificanceAccommodation is a basic factor for
inmates to spend their prison lives and its
equipments should satisfy the conditions
necessary for maintaining their health inprisons. Proper equipments are also
expected to contribute to the bettermentof hygiene. The SMRs stipulate theaccommodation of prisons in Rules 9 to 14
in the following items:(a) T y p e s a n d c o n d i t i o n s o f
accommodation;(b) Standard of sleeping arrangements;(c) Lighting and ventilation;(d) Sanitary facilities;(e) Bathing and shower installations;and(f) Maintenance.
In addition to Rules 9 to 14, Rule 8 also
stipulates the separation of different
categorized inmates, which is indirectly
related to accommodation.
2. Domestic Legislation and Actual
Situationa) Fiji
In Fiji, there are two types ofaccommodation; cell type and dormitory
type. In case of cell type regulations, aprisoner shall not be housed in a cell withless than 60 square feet of floor space and398

only one prisoner shall be accommodated
in one cell. But at times when there is asituation of overcrowding, three prisoners
can be accommodated in one cell.
On the other hand, in case of dormitory
type regulations, each prisoner confined ina dormitory shall be allocated at least 40
square feet of floor space. Usually 22 to 24
prisoners are accommodated in adormitory. Both cells and dormitories are
sufficiently provided with lightning andventilation. In case of dormitories, bathing
and toilet areas are located within thebuildings. Sanitation allocated within
accommodation buildings is well cleaned
and maintained. However, most prisonsthat were built during the colonial era are
not provided with sufficient sanitation andare still using sanitary buckets.
b) India
In India, accommodation in a prison
consists of cellular and association wards.
A cell is intended for a single prisoner andan association ward for more than one
prisoner. Rule 701 of the Assam Prison
Manual lays down that every prisoner inan association ward shall be allowed notless than 36 square feet of ground spaceand 540 cubic feet breathing space, thatthe height of the walls of a ward shall not
be less than 13 feet and that in calculating
the allowance of cubic feet per person no
account shall be taken of any air space
above 13 feet.
Near the door of every ward shall berecorded the number of cubic andsuperficial feet which it contains and thenumber of prisoners which it is capable ofaccommodating. On the basis of themanual, the lock up register shall show the
maximum accommodation of every ward,
so that the Superintendent may be able tojudge at a glance whether any ward is overcrowded or not. Also he/she shall pay
special attention to the ventilation of the

115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
sleeping wards. In all cases, care shall betaken that there is sufficient lateral, as wellas roof ventilation. The interior ofworksheds, sleeping wards and cells shallordinarily be white washed twice a year,
and in hospitals once in every threemonths.
c) Indonesia
In Indonesia, there are two types ofaccommodation; single cell and dormitory.
The latter is designed to accommodate 3,5, 7, or 9 prisoners.
Both types of accommodation areprovided with facilities like: mattresses,
pillows, toilets and bathing, ventilation andlight. Both single cells and dormitories areavailable for prisoners and detainees aswell and almost 80 percent of the prisoners
or detainees are accommodated indormitories. The placement of prisoners isdetermined according to the classificationof prisoners and security, such as maximum security, medium security andminimum security.
d) Japan
In Japan, there are two types ofaccommodation; single cell and dormitory.
Both types of accommodation are
sufficiently provided with a window, anelectric light, and a flush toilet.
Unconvicted inmates are put into single
cells in principle. Each correctional
institution accommodates inmates
separately according to sex, age and thenumber of previous offenses.
e) NepalIn Nepal, as most of the prisons werebuilt long ago, they are lacking the basic
facilities. The prisons were also consideredas punitive centres and not as correctional
centres at the time of their construction.
Therefore, the functional structure andequipment in most of the prisons is veryp o o r. N o n e w p r i s o n s h a v e b e e nconstructed so far, but the government isplanning to construct new prison buildings.
Although the prisons in Nepal are divided
into four categories, they are not classified
according to the type of detention or levelof security but capacity alone. There are
no separate facilities for detainees andsentenced offenders, although the Prisons
Act stipulates keeping detainees andsentenced offenders separately as far as
possible. Similarly, there are no special
women’s prisons (female inmates areaccommodated in separated wings of thesame buildings of the male inmates). In
Nepal dormitories are provided for
prisoners. No size of the prison is
mentioned in law. The size differs fromprison to prison and there is no uniformity.
A case of one prisoner accommodated in asingle cell is often the exception rather thana general rule and the standard of one
prisoner per a single cell is utilized in thecase of solitary confinement.
f) Findings of Discussion
In Fiji, India and Nepal, on the basis of
the domestic laws, civil prisoners are kept
separately from prisoners. However, inIndia and Nepal, due to overcrowding andthe lack of space, all prisoners are actually
kept together in many prisons, except thatfemale prisoners are kept in separate
blocks. In Japan and Indonesia, there isno concept of civil prisoners and otherwise
the domestic law and practice comply withthe other provisions of Rule 8 of the SMRs.
Nevertheless the domestic legislation
regarding accommodation in theparticipating countries is a bit different, thesubstantial matters mentioned in Rules 9
to 14 of the SMRs are almost stipulated bythem, except that Japan and Indonesia
have no domestic legislation in compliancewith Rule 14. In general, the actual
situation concerning the requirement of theseparation of convicted and unconvictedprisoners is not satisfied and it isrecognized in some participating countries.

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 57
B. Hygiene and Medical Services
1. Significance
Maintaining hygiene and providing
necessary medical services are of vital
importance on the ground that correctional
institutions accommodates a large numberof inmates and manages them. Badhygiene risks spreading diseases rapidly
among inmates, and insufficient medicalcare damages their health conditions andsometimes may lead to their deaths. Thus,
good hygiene and medical care are thefundamental prerequisite to be addressedby prison authorities in order that inmates
send their sound lives in prisons. In thisconnection, the SMRs have provisions
regarding personal hygiene as follows:
Rule 15
Prisoners shall be required to keep theirpersons clean, and to this end they shall be
provided with water and with such toilet
articles as are necessary for health andcleanliness.
Rule 16
In order that prisoners may maintain agood appearance compatible with their selfrespect, facilities shall be provided for theproper care of the hair and beard, and men
shall be enabled to shave regularly.
Here, our group also discussed thematter of medical services stipulated by
Rules 22 to 26 on the ground that hygiene
and medical care are very closely related
to each other.
2. Domestic Legislation and Actual
Situationa) Fiji
In Fiji, the visiting medical officers(VMO) to prison are provided by thegovernment and they visit the prisons oncea week to make medical checks of newly
admitted prisoners, pre-release prisoners
and prisoners complaining about sickness
and those necessary to be diagnosed on the400

request of prison officers. Prisoners withserious and complicated disease are sent
to hospital for diagnosis. The VMO is also
to visit a prison at least once a month toinspect every part of the prison and shall
pay special attention to its sanitary state,
the health of the prisoners, and theadequacy and of the diet.
Recently, due to the threat of incurable
diseases like HIV/AIDS, thorough medical
examinations are conducted for all newly
admitted prisoners and their specimens aresent to hospital for further assessment andconformation of results. Prisoners areencouraged to keep themselves clean anddecent and are provided with basic
necessities like bathing soap, towels, tooth
paste and brushes, toilet tissues andshaving gear for daily use. All convictedprisoners are to shave daily and cut their
hair short. Civil and unconvicted prisoners
are not compelled to shave and have their
hair cut short unless the VMO certifies it
to be necessary.
b) India
In India, the Superintendent, medical
officer and all other subordinate officers are
responsible for any hygiene matters. Rule707 of the Assam Prison Manual lays downthat attention shall be paid not only to themore important subject of the disposal ofnight soil and refuse but also to every detailconnected with the cleanliness andneatness of the prison and its
surroundings. The jail area shall becleaned daily and be kept free from all
jungle matter and weeds, accumulation of
broken manufacturing refuse etc. No
cooking room refuse shall be permitted tobe thrown on the ground, nor shall rubbishof any kind be allowed to accumulate near
the jail.
The drainage of the ground round about
the jail shall be carefully attended to andwhere necessary drainage cuts shall be

115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
made with a view to preventing thea c c u m u l a t i o n o f w a t e r.
The
Superintendent and medical officer are
responsible that an ample supply of waterof good quality is always available fordrinking, bathing and other purposes. The
sources from which drinking water isderived shall be carefully selected andprotected from pollution. Samples of water
should be sent to the laboratory forchemical examination twice a year and also
when in the event of an outbreak of
epidemic disease, there is a reason for abelief that it might be due to contaminationof the water supply. Every possible
precaution shall be taken to prevent
pollution of the water supply either at thesource or at the storage. Every officer ofthe prison shall exercise utmost vigilancein maintaining hygiene and sanitation.
Section 37 of the Prison Act of 1894
requires that the name of sick prisoners
shall be reported without delay to the jailer
or medical officer. Under section 39 of the
Prison Act a hospital shall be provided inevery prison. Rule 650 of the Assam Prison
Manual lays down that every prisoner
complaining of illness be sent for
immediate medical examination by adoctor. A lady doctor may be called in toattend female prisoners when necessary.
Every prisoner suffering from any active
disease shall be brought under medical
treatment and his name shall be recordedin the appropriate register. The medical
officer shall daily inspect the out patientregister and order the admission to hospitalof any out patient if necessary. At least
once a week, the medical officer shall
examine all out patients. The medical
officer shall also visit daily all prisoners in
hospital and under observation and decide
whether any prisoner shall be admitted
into or discharged from hospital.

c) Indonesia
In Indonesia, prisoners are required tomaintain a short haircut and be shaved
cleanly at all times in order to maintain agood state of personal hygiene. Items suchas nail cutters, mirrors for shaving areprovided by the prison authority and areavailable on a communal basis. Inmates
are also provided with soap every two
weeks from the prison.
In terms of medical care, medical
treatment is provided inside a prison or
detention house. However, as facilities are
not adequate, an inmate may be sent to a
hospital outside the prison under escort byprison officers. Doctors from local
government and the Red Cross institutions
examine inmates for HIV/AIDS once a year.
d) Japan
In Japan, an inmate can take a bath andshave twice a week (three times in thesummer). The bathing time is 15 minutes
on average (20 minutes on average forwomen). There is no restriction on hairstyles of unconvicted inmates. However,convicted inmates are required to have agiven hair-style in view of keeping better
hygiene or safety.
Doctors and other medical staff shall beassigned in every correctional institution.
The ratio of doctor against inmates is about
1 to 150, which seems to be higher thanthat of the general Japanese population.
There are the medical prisons and if
necessary, sick inmates may be transferredto them. Also if a special medical care oroperation is needed, inmates may betransferred to a hospital outside theinstitution at national expense. Medical
checkups are firstly conducted at the timeof admission and done regularly once per
6 months afterwards.

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 57e) NepalIn Nepal, there is legislation regarding
the hygiene and medical services to beprovided to prisoners. In general, allprisoners are urged to keep their personal
and living environment clean. Medical
treatment of ill prisoners is to be done by
the government doctors serving in prisons.
Depending upon the number of prisoners,
there is the regular doctor’s service only insome prisons. Otherwise, the visit of thedoctors is made as per the necessity or on
the request of the prison. If an inmate isseriously ill and a government doctor
diagnoses that he/she should be admitted
to a hospital for better treatment, he/sheshould be hospitalized and treated in a
hospital. In terms of the matters regarding
the personal hygiene of inmates, prison
officers shall be responsible formaintaining its good state in compliancewith the law.
f) Findings of Discussion
The matters relating to personal hygiene
are well stipulated in the legislation of therespective participating countries, but ina different way. In the legislation such as
in Indonesia, it is just mentioned to provide
prisoners with soap, while in Nepal thelegislation is silent as to what kind ofarticles should be provided to prisoners but
simply states that the conditions of
personal hygiene among prisoners should
be kept properly as the duty of prison staff.
As far as medical services are concerned,
not all of the matters as stipulated in the
SMRs are covered by the legislation of theparticipating countries. Also the different
degree of the provisions is recognized. For
example, the services of a qualified dental
officer as stipulated in sub-rule (3) of Rule
22 of the SMRs is not mentioned in any
legislation of the participating countries
except Japan. Similarly, the matterstipulated in Rule 26 of the SMRs is not
mentioned in details in any domestic

402

legislation of the participating countries
but India. It is the actual situation that
medical services provided to inmates do notalways satisfy the provisions of thelegislation.
C. Clothing and Bedding
1. Significance
Clothing and bedding are necessary
requirements for daily life. Providing cleanand sufficient clothing and bedding toinmates is essential for maintaining
humanitarian prison conditions and also
ensures good hygiene by preventing the
spread of contagious diseases in a prison.
The SMRs prescribe the matter of clothing
and bedding in Rule 17 through to19.
These Rules include the following items:(a) Adequate clothing;(b) Cleanliness of clothing;(c) C l o t h i n g i n e x c e p t i o n a lcircumstances;(d) Cleanliness of their allowed own
clothing; and(e) Separate bed and sufficient bedding.
2. Domestic Legislation and Actual
Situationa) Fiji
In Fiji, on the basis of the regulations,prisoners are provided with three pairs of
uniform and may be allowed to wear
personal clothing on occasions, such asattending court, being transferred by public
transport, attending outside church
services and burial for close family
members. They are also supplied withbedding, such as beds, mattresses, pillows,
mosquito nets and two blankets.
b) India
In India, the existing scale of clothing
and bedding for all the convicted prisoners
is prescribed in the Assam Prison Manualrule 393 in detail. The prison clothes
supplied to an inmate under trial shall bewithdrawn and taken back at the time ofhis discharge or release on bail. The above-

115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
mentioned scale of clothing and bedding
shall also be admissible to non-criminal
mentally disordered people who are notprovided with sufficient clothing andbedding from a private source.

their relatives or friends, or to purchasethem at their own expense. In cases where
unconvicted prisoners stay in prison for
more than one year they are also entitledto get dresses.

c) Indonesia
In Indonesia, according to theregulations, the basic necessities areprovided by the prison authority. Prisoners
are provided with two sets of blue uniforms
and are allowed to receive shirt and pantsfrom their family. All prisoners are also
allowed to wear their own clothing for all
authorized purposes, such as visiting
prison mosques, churches, attending thefunerals of family members, attending
medical treatment in public hospitals,
family visiting program. If they are notable to afford to have personal clothing,
they are supplied with civil type clothingby the prison authority.

f) Findings of Discussion
There is domestic legislation in each of
the participating countries corresponding
to the provisions of Rules 17 to 19 of the
SMRs. Especially, the legislation in India
as well as in Indonesia is fully compliant
with the provisions stipulated in those
Rules. In Japan, all the things requiredby the SMRs are not stipulated in thedomestic regulation. In Fiji, except subrule (2) of Rule 17 and the matter relating
to climate, all requirements are stipulated
in the domestic legislation. In Nepal,
except for the matters of Rule 19, allrequirements are mentioned in thedomestic legislation. In general, as far as
clothing and bedding, the domestic
legislation in each participating country iswell provided and put into practice inconformity with its provisions.

d) Japan
In Japan, on the basis of the Prison Law,clothing and bedding are provided forconvicted prisoners by correctional
institutions. Those for unconvicted
detainees are self-supplied in principle.
However, those who are unable to affordthem may be supplied with such items by
the institutions. Different types of clothing
are supplied according to the seasonalchanges of climate. If any circumstances(e.g., in case of sick, aged and foreign
inmates) require special consideration,
additional supplies, such as clothing forcold weather or other materials areavailable.
e) NepalIn Nepal, all convicted prisoners areprovided with dresses two times a year.
Mats, blankets, bed sheets and pillows areprovided to both convicted and unconvictedprisoners upon their admission.
Unconvicted prisoners are allowed toreceive approved items of clothing from

D. Food
1. SignificanceProviding food of nutritional value
adequate for maintaining inmates’ healthand physical strength is of vital importancein correctional institutions. Keeping wellbalanced calories in food is also required
to prevent adult diseases such as diabetes.
In this connection, the SMRs have thefollowing provision regarding food as
follows:
Rule 20(1) Every prisoner shall be provided by
the administration at the usual hours
with food of nutritional value
adequate for health and strength, ofwholesome quality and well preparedand served.
(2) Drinking water shall be available toevery prisoner whenever he needs it.

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 57
2. Domestic Legislation and Actual
Situationa) Fiji
In Fiji, on the basis of the regulation,
there are three dietary scales provided tothe prisoners, which are prescribed in theFirst Schedule commonly known as dietaryscale of A, B and C. Prisoners may selectany of these dietary scales on admission.
On the other hand, there is no any
legislation regarding the amount of calories
which is required. However, there is theprovision regulating that the food supplied
shall be wholesome in quality and with all
the ingredients prescribed in the First
Schedule.
b) India
In India, Rule 368 of the Assam Prison
Manual lays down that it is the
responsibility of the Superintendent to seethat the prisoners entrusted to his custody
are fed properly so that their health is not
impaired and their weight is maintained.
The food should contain an adequate
quantity of each of the essential elements
for maintaining proper nutritional statusof the individual. The degree of physicalactivity is the most important factor that
determines the calories of food required.
Calorie value required: An average man
who is engaged in any hand manual labor
will require 2000 to 2400 calories. A person
who is to do heavy work would require notless than 2800 calories. An average woman
would require about 2400 calories. A
pregnant woman or a nursing mothershould have additional calories. Every
prisoner shall be entitled to receive dietsat the prescribe scale for the class to which
he belongs. The diet scales are categorized
into A, B and C division of prisoners.
Special diets shall be given to eachprisoner on the occasion of Republic Day,
Independence Day, Gandhi jayanti and
Magh bihu, in addition to the diet404

ordinarily admissible.
c) Indonesia
In Indonesia, on the basis of theregulation, food is served three times a day,and food calories for inmates are uniformly
determined at 2,250. Foreign prisoners
who cannot eat Indonesian food due tosome reasons (religious or cultural reason)
are given special meals. Even in such acase, both quality and quantity are thesame as the food for national prisoners.
Special diets are available for sickprisoners subject to the recommendation
or approval of medical officers (doctors).
During the religious month, including hariraya and Christmas day, prisoners areallowed to receive food from their home or
religious organizations to celebrate theseoccasions.
d) Japan
In Japan, according to the regulation,
food is supplied for inmates three times perday. Food is required to maintain enoughcalories with reference to theirconstitutions, health conditions, age, andkinds of work assigned. The nutritional
values of food vary from 2300 kcal (kilocalorie) to 3000 kcal per day. Special diets
are available for foreign prisoners whose
customs and religious restrictions aredifferent from those of the Japanese, in
addition to sick inmates due to medical
reasons.
e) NepalIn Nepal, the legislation clearlystipulates that food be provided to theprisoners. Prisoners are divided into two
categories; “Category A” and “B”. Daily
necessary commodities are supplied basedon the Category of prisoners or detainees
placed. Those placed in “Category A” areentitled to obtain a quantum of 700 gramsof rice and 20 rupees a day, while those in“Category B” obtain 700 grams of rice and
15 rupees a day. In case when a female

115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
inmate gives birth to a baby in a prison,some additional commodities are provided
to her.
f) Findings of Discussion
The domestic legislation regarding foodin each of the participating countries is incompliance with Rule 20 of the SMRs,
although they are stated in a different way
slightly. That is to say, the legislation has
provisions regarding the quantity of thecommodities in detail, whereas otherlegislation includes clear clauses of thenutritional value adequate for health andstrength. For example, in India, the foodis subject to different categories ofprisoners and this is mentioned in a formof clarifying the calories per the kinds ofitems in detail. In Japan the legislation
clearly states how many times the food is
supplied and calories according to the work
assigned to the prisoners, which seems to
be more detailed than Rule 20 of the SMRs.
In general, as far as food is concerned, thedomestic legislation in each of theparticipating countries is well provided andput into practice in conformity with theprovision.
Through the discussions, our group is of
the same opinion that enjoying sufficientliving space, clothing and bedding, hygiene
and medical care, and food is thefundamental necessity for human beings.
Such a principle is applied to even inmatesin custody in correctional facilities andshould be respected fully as long as it does
not harm the original purpose of theirincarceration.
IV. MAIN CAUSES FOR IMPEDING
IMPROVEMENT OF PRISONCONDITIONS, AND ITS INFLUENCEON PRISONERSOur group first reviewed both theStandards and Norms regarding prison
conditions and then, especially on the basisof the provisions of the SMRs examined
how the domestic legislation is stipulated
in each of the participating countries andwhat the actual situation was in practicein prisons. As a result, it is found that theactual practice does not always comply
with the standards stipulated in the SMRs.
Therefore, it is necessary to find out theexisting problems in prisons and to
examine the main causes for impeding theimprovement of prison conditions and its
influence on prisoners. This group first
discussed the causes for impeding theimprovement of prison conditions and tried
to relate each problem with the respective
causes. The main causes for impeding theimprovement of prison conditions are foundas follows:
1. Insufficient Budget
Our group reaches the consensus thatthe insufficient budget is the main cause
for impeding the improvement of prison
conditions. This cause may differ fromcountry to country and may exist even in
the developed countries. But this isconsidered as the main cause in most of
the developing countries. The government
has other priority sectors such as poverty
alleviation, health, education, drinking
water and so on. As the budget is very
limited and many sectors need to be
improved, there is no sufficient budget
allocated for the improvement of the prison
conditions. The national budget of many
developing countries depends not only oninternal resources but also on foreign
resources. Therefore, the priority sectors
are sometimes determined by the external
factors as well. Similarly, the priority
sector, in most of the developing countries,
is determined, depending on the returns
to the government by the particular sector
concerned and as the prison sector does notmake any substantial returns to thegovernment, the government does notallocate sufficient budget to it. In many
countries the prison buildings were built

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 57
many years back and lack minimum
facilities, but constructing new prison
buildings costs a lot and most developing
countries can not afford this because of theinsufficient financial resources.
On the other hand, the budget allocatedto the prisons is not properly distributed
among the prison institutions and thereby
the conditions of the prisons such asaccommodation, clothing and bedding,food, and personal hygiene etc. differ fromprison to prison. Due to insufficientbudgets there is the lack of equipment, lackof medical care and insufficient
implementation of rehabilitation
programs. If the above mentioned
problems are in a prison, there is a bad
influence on the inmates housed in such
prisons and it causes the dissatisfaction of
the prisoners which leads to disobedientattitudes of the inmates and sometimes it
even leads to hunger strike and to riots inprisons.
2. Lack of Understanding by
Government
This is also considered as a cause for
impeding the improvement of prison
conditions. It is one cause which differsfrom country to country depending upon
the political system of a particular country.
If the political system is democratic, thenthe government is more likely to listen to
the voices of the human right activists andgive due priority to the improvement ofprison conditions. Especially, in a
democratic system of government if thegovernment does not have proper
understanding about the prison conditions
and people are not made to understandabout the human rights situation in a
prison as well as prison standards, thenthe people may pressure for thedevelopment of sectors other than theprison, which ultimately hinders the
improvement of prison conditions. In somecountries depending upon the election

406

system, the politicians are interested inonly securing their votes and therefore they
pay more attention to own constituencies.
Then, prison is not a priority for such
politicians. This can also be taken for thelack of understanding by the government
as the same politicians are there in thegovernment.
Regardless of the political system, there
are cases where the government officials
working in prison do not recognize theminimum standard of prisons which should
be maintained and they do not report tothe higher authority accordingly and thehigher authorities do not have sufficientknowledge about prison conditions andthese institutions are neglected, similarly
due to the lack of understanding by thegovernment about the prison conditions,low priority is given to the prison
institutions within the ministry concerned
and thereby the prison conditions are not
improved. As a result, there are different
levels of prison conditions, lack ofequipment, lack of medical care and so on,when such problems are in a prison there
is a negative influence on the prisoners andthey gradually show their dissatisfaction
and it leads to disobedient attitude andfinally may lead to hunger strike and riots.
In such a situation there is no expectationof proper rehabilitation and making a good
citizen in a prison.
3. Overcrowding
Overcrowding is one of the main
obstacles and causes of the impediment for
the improvement of prison conditions. It
hinders the realization of the goals of theprison administration. The annual budget
for a particular prison is fixed at the
beginning of the fiscal year bearing in mind
the actual number of the prisoners or the
maximum capacity of that prison and the
manpower is determined beforehand. But
the overcrowding starts somewhereanytime of the year but after the budget

115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
has been fixed. Due to the limitation of
manpower, material resources andtechnical equipment, prison
administrations have to be emerged incoping with daily affairs and correctional
programs cannot be effectively carried out.
Overcrowding also impedes the proper
implementation of the classification ofprisoners. Increasing prison populationand limited prison facilities cause different
categories of prisoners to be kept mixed.
For that reason, in some countries
convicted and unconvicted prisoners arealso kept together, as a result different
kinds of offenders share their crime
experiences with each other and cause
contamination, overcrowding weakens
prison security. Consequently, it makessome inmates’ temper worse and some
inmates may behave abnormally and evenprovoke dispute. These matters may
escalate violence among the prisoners.
Because of overcrowding, there is apossibility of spreading diseases, such as
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis andother epidemics which may take place andultimately may cause the death of inmates.
4. Insufficient Disclosure ofInformation to the Public
In a democratic society, public opinion
plays a vital role. The general public are
the source of power, therefore, nothing canbe done against the people’s will. The
government is formed by the people andthe policies formulated should reflect the
public will otherwise the policies cannot be
successfully implemented. The
participants reach consensus in generalthat one of the causes of impediment in the
improvement of prison conditions is thelack of disclosure of information to the
public. Firstly, some prison officers
themselves are reluctant to provide
information about the actual situation of
the prison to the mass media and to the
public. Secondly, the mass media does not

publish the real situation of prisons anddistorted information is reaching the
public. Therefore, the media makes
unnecessary exaggeration of the fact,
especially the negative incidents in prisons
are highlighted and the public cannot havereal information about the prison
conditions and they think that they havenothing to do with prison.
One of the important facts is that the
public in general should be made awarethat prisoners are also human beings andthey need to be treated as human beings.
This is lacked even in the developed
countries and the public is often critical ofcorrectional institutions and say that too
many facilities are provided for prisoners.
However, the reality is different because
no countries have provided too many
facilities for prisoners. It depends on thelevel of overall development of a particularcountry. When the public in general are
not informed correctly and they are criticalof the management of prison, it definitely
impedes the improvement of prison
conditions.
5. Lack of Cooperation from Outside
Our group, in discussing this point,
basically observed two views: first cooperation from the private sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) andother volunteer organizations and second- from outside the prisons but within thegovernment institutions. The private
sector is reluctant to invest in the operationof factories in prisons which makes it
difficult to provide jobs to the inmates who
are willing to work and such situations
contribute to the impediment of the
improvement of prison conditions. In mostdeveloping countries, the NGOs andvolunteer organizations are not working
properly in order to improve prison
conditions.

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 57
Similarly, the government agencies
which are supposed to support the prison
administration ( for example- medical
officers and other medical facilities fromthe health department etc.) are also not soeager to provide such facilities to theprisons. In some countries, medical doctors
deployed in prisons are not willing to work
there. Such cases impede the improvementof prison conditions. Such matters definitely
have a negative impact on prisoners.
Depression, health deterioration and manyother negative consequences arise.
6. Some Prison Officers’ Lack of
Recognition of Inmates’ Rights
The right of inmates stipulated in eachcountry’s legislation that governs thetreatment of prisoners must be fully
observed by prison officers when carryingout their duties. It must be realized by all
prison administrators and staff that theprisoners should be treated as humanbeings.
Our group has identified that someofficers lack the commitment to their workor have a mere ignorance or negligence inperforming their work. For instance,
prison officers pay inadequate attention tocomplaints, requests and grievances madeby prisoners regarding prison conditions.
Also, there are some cases where they
provide or demonstrate unfair treatment
for prisoners by distributing clothing or
food unequally. Those situations increase
the dissatisfaction of prisoners withnegative attitudes towards the prison
authority and discourage their selfmotivation of rehabilitation.
Considering the background of prison
officers’ poor recognition towards prison
conditions, two reasons can be imagined;
the one is the low level of salary and thelack of chances of promotion for personnel,
and the other is an insufficient training
system.

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7. Lack of Inmates’ Positive Attitudes
towards Prison Conditions
It is important that inmates themselves
pay more attention to prison conditions to
be kept in a good state. Actually, mostinmates do not have enough positive
attitudes towards prison conditions.
Furthermore, some of them even ignore thebreakdowns of prison equipment. Such alack of inmates’ positive attitudes can beone of the causes impeding theimprovement of prison conditions. Also, inorder to cultivate inmates positive
attitudes, prison officers themselves shouldhave and show inmates their positive
attitude regarding prison conditions.
The causes for impeding theimprovement of prison conditions
mentioned before are taken from theexperiences of the participating countries.
There may be other causes which hinder
the improvement of prison conditions.
Nonetheless, the most important cause
impeding the improvement of prison
conditions is considered to be the constraintof resources. Similarly, the socio-economic
as well as cultural development of acountry may also influence theimprovement of prison conditions.
V. SOME MEASURES TO IMPROVEPRISON CONDITIONS
Our group first discussed the actual
situation of prison conditions and the major
impediments to the improvement of prison
conditions. Now that these impediments
have been explored, it is necessary tosuggest some countermeasures to elevatethese prison conditions to the desired
standard.
1. Measures for Insufficient Budget
Regarding insufficient budget, although
it is very difficult to increase the budget
overnight where a country is facing
economic problems, systems including a

115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
proper mechanism for analysis, assessment
and submitting reports should be
developed. It is not possible to solve all
the problems concurrently, therefore,priority should be given to the minimum
requirements and this should be nonnegotiable and the available budget must
be utilized properly. If there is a possibilityof reducing any costs, such as use ofelectricity, telephone calls or any otherstationary goods, this should be reduced sothat the surplus budget can be used to
improve prison conditions. Such strategies
have been successful in Fiji which can beused as an example for other countries.
Similarly, some mechanical or electricaldevices can also be used and prison staff
can be reduced which would be costeffective in the long run. On the other
hand, as part of the measures to make up
for the insufficiency of the government
budget, establishing a mechanism togenerate profits inside corrections is
recommended. As one possible way to build
such a mechanism, activating the businessof prison work inside correctional
institutions is conceivable.
In addition to these strategies, the actual
need of each prison should also be assessedin detail before the allotment of budget sothat the budget can be distributed properly
among prison institutions.
In countries where the prison buildings
were constructed many years back and arelocated in urban areas, there is an option
to sell the land or to utilize such land forother purposes. New prison buildings canthen be constructed in a place where theland is cheaper, and thereby the prison
conditions could be improved. For thispurpose, model site plans for prisons should
be devised as a priority to maintain
uniformity in terms of architectural design
to be based on SMRs. Privatization of someof the prison management aspects, such as

food, clothing, hygiene and so on could also
be one of the countermeasures to reduce
expenditures. Privatization of prisons has
been introduced in Australia and is foundto be cost effective. But our group does notpropose complete privatization which may
have pitfalls including security problems
and low quality which have been
experienced in some countries.
2. Measures for Lack ofUnderstanding by Government
In order to give the government a clear
understanding about prison conditions,prisons should be well managed and soundprofessional competence of the prison
officers should be developed. Prison
administrators should take the initiative
for making periodical reports to the prison
department and Ministry concerned.
Another initiative is to invite politicians
including ministers and members of
Parliament to visit the prison and makethem appreciate the urgency of
improvement of prison conditions.
Similarly, other officials involved in thecriminal justice system may be invited fromtime to time to visit prisons to make themaware of the actual situation in prisons,
therefore, the improvement of prison
conditions may become a priority of
government. To that end, the prison
authorities should be very honest andprovide adequate information to the mass
media as well as to the government.
3. Measures for Overcrowding
Obviously overcrowding causes
inadequate prison conditions which havealready been mentioned in this paper.
General countermeasures to cope withovercrowding are supposed to be discussed
in detail by group 1, therefore, our group
has dealt with some of the measures to betaken inside the prisons assuming that
there is overcrowding in the prisons,particularly those that have a negative
impact on prison conditions.

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When there is overcrowding in prisonsthe first problem to overcome is theshortage of space. To overcome thisproblem, underutilized and obsolete
facilities can be adapted into new cell
blocks. Other initiatives might include
using the space in a cell room more
effectively, for example, by making shelves
and putting possessions in order. Similarly,
use of accommodation of open camps andopen prisons could be helpful to overcome
this problem. In doing so, a system ofproper security risk assessment is requiredin order to send low risk inmates to such
prisons or open camps. Open camp systems
in Indonesia and open prison systems in
India have been successful. Prison
authorities should be encouraged to explore
innovative strategies for providing
additional accommodation. For example,
some devices for increasing beds such as
using container type beds, mobile camps
and demountable buildings have been usedsuccessfully in some countries. Use of bunktype beds (2-3 stories) may also contributeto increasing bed numbers and providing
better conditions.
To overcome the shortage of goods for the
daily use of the inmates, it would bedesirable to insist that inmates themselvespurchase some such goods at their own
expense and from outside (such as religious
groups). Prisons can also be encouraged
to become self-sufficient in the productionof food stuffs, for example through growing
fruits and vegetables on prison property.
To overcome the shortage of resources
for rehabilitation programs, proper
screening process in rehabilitation of
inmates should be carried out. So thatbudget for programs can be targeted andprioritized. Similarly, the shortage ofprison staff due to overcrowding can beovercome by encouraging volunteer
activities or through the use of temporary
staff system.

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4. Measures for Insufficient
Disclosure of Information to the
PublicIn order to make accurate information
about prison conditions available to themass media, a designated prison officer or
public relation section in each prison
should be given such responsibility.
Depending upon the situation of eachprison, meetings with the mass media ona regular basis could be held. The officer
in charge of providing such information
should follow the news publications and if
the news was distorted, the immediateconcern should be brought to the attentionof the publisher. Corrections to the news
should be published with a guarantee of
not distorting the information in the future.
Real transparency should be a featureof prison administrations particularly withregard to prison conditions. If there aresome reasons why the government cannot
allocate more budget, sufficient
explanation should also be given to the
public. Therefore, they may come up withsome solutions and it even helps makeindirect pressure on government to draw
attention for cooperation from the outside.
Depending upon the size of prison andthe existing work load, setting up a
separate public relations section is also
desirable. Such a section will regularly
deal with the public in providing theminformation about the prison and obtaining
public opinion which may help for the
better management of prison. Use ofinternet, where possible, would also be agood method for circulating information to
the public and getting public opinion.
5. Measures for Lack of Cooperationfrom Outside
In order to attract private sector
investment inside the prisons, thegovernment should develop infrastructure
and try to attract the private sector. Joint

115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
investment by government and private
enterprise would be an appropriate method
to attract the private sectors. Potential
NGOs and religious groups should beselected which are really interested in thework and the government can work
together with such NGOs and religious
groups for the betterment of prison
conditions. Similarly, volunteers should be
encouraged to work in this field. So far as
the cooperation with the government
institutions is concerned, the initiative
should be taken by prison authorities to getsuch adequate cooperation from thoseinstitutions. In order to facilitate this goal,
the Prison Department should get in touch
regularly with the institutions concernedand make them understand theseriousness of the situation. In order topursue educational programs, the Prison
Department should correspond to open
universities and other educational
institutions and get cooperation from them.
6. Measures for the Lack of Some
Prison Officers’ Recognition of
Inmates’ Rights
Today, human rights of prisoners havetaken on a new significance andperspective. Therefore, the prison staff ingeneral and the prison officer in particularshould be quite aware of the fact of how
human rights of prisoners are to be upheldin prisons. To this end, training about theimportance of human rights should begiven to all staff from the highest level tothe lowest level involved in the prison
administration and prison management.
To update the knowledge of the prison
officers and other staff and to make themable to implement correctional policies ina proper spirit, refresher training and on
the job training should be provided inaddition to the basic training. Suchtraining will help to update theirknowledge and make them able toimplement correctional policies in a proper
spirit. To ensure that staff are constantly

reminded of their obligations towards
prisoners, the appropriate authority should
publish information, including procedures
and legislation that enshrine basic humanrights and disseminate this to staff. This
could include the production of handbooks,
posters and where possible use of theintranet and internet.
Similarly, prison authorities should be
able to afford job satisfaction to its
personnel. An officer or staff not satisfied
with his/her job may not provide aneffective and efficient service andultimately it leads to the lack of recognitionof inmates’ rights. In this connection, theattention to the equal opportunities ofprison staff who actually deal with thehuman rights of prisoners should berecognized first and then the principle ofreward and punishment should be appliedstrictly on the basis of performance.
It is important that all prison officers
should also have positive attitudes towards
the prison conditions. For example minor
repairs which can be easily done should be
fixed by the prison officers themselves andbe an example for the inmates. It
contributes to improve prison conditions
without involving any extra cost. This will
help to improve prison conditions.
7. Measures for the Lack of Inmates’
Positive Attitudes towards Prison
Conditions
The prisoners themselves should play avital role in improving the prison
conditions. Prisoners from different
backgrounds need some basic training after
their admission to prison, they should be
provided with an inmate handbook in orderto make them clear about the humanrights, expectations and obligations.
Forming different committees such as acleaning committee, maintenancecommittee, self-management committee,
etc. among prisoners can be another way

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for cultivating their positive attitudes
towards prison conditions. If programs are
conducted with the introduction ofcompetition systems, highly evaluatedcommittees are rewarded, and theirattitudes can be stimulated and enhancedby those incentives. Good relations
between the prison staff and the prisoners
can also be expected in the course of suchactivities to achieve these goals. An
environment for self-motivation among
prisoners should be created in the prison
so that they may develop positive attitudes
towards the efforts to improve prison
conditions.
VI. METHODS AND PROCEDURESTO SECURE THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF LEGISLATION REGARDING
PRISON CONDITIONS
Establishing systems such as inspection
and reporting systems are considered a key
to a success for securing the effectivenessof the legislation regarding prison
conditions. In this connection, Rule 55 of
the SMRs stipulates as follows:
Rule 55
There shall be a regular inspection ofpenal institutions and services by qualified
and experienced inspectors appointed by acompetent authority. Their task shall be,in particular, to ensure that these
institutions are administered in accordancewith existing laws and regulations and witha view to bringing about the objectives ofpenal and correctional services.
Therefore, our group discussed theinspection and reporting system in each of
the participating countries which is asfollows:
1. Fiji
The officers in charge of prisons are
required to visit all wards, cells, yards,
workshop, kitchen and latrines and other412

parts of the prison two times a day. Such
officers are also required to see all inmatesdaily, if possible. He shall submit his reportto the Supervisor of Prisons for perusal.
The Supervisor of Prisons has to inspect
all prisons under his control as frequently
as possible and as per the direction of theCommissioner of Prisons. A report of his
inspection is to be forwarded to theCommissioner of Prisons.
The
Commissioner of Prisons shall thoroughly
and systematically inspect all prisons atleast twice a year and submit his report to
the Minister of Justice. Similarly, theVisiting Justice shall visit and inspect a
prison at least once a week at any time andmay inspect all books, papers and records
relating to the management and disciplineof the prison. He will also report to theCommissioner of Prisons of any matter ofinterest made through his inspection orvisit. There is also a Visiting Committee
in Fiji which consists of four or five people
nominated by the Minister of Justice. SuchCommittee shall visit and inspect prisonsat least once every three months and makea report to the Commissioner of Prisonsand to the Minister of Justice. Other visits
like Official Visitors, Ombudsman and
Government Officials, Provincial Officials
and NGOs are allowed after gaining theCommissioner of Prisons approval.
2. India
In India, the Inspector General of
prisons shall inspect all departments ofevery jail at district headquarters at least
once a year and every jail at Sub-Division
headquarters at least once in two years.
During inspections he shall personally see
every prisoner and give reasonable
opportunity of making any application orcomplaint and shall investigate anddispose of such as relate to jail discipline.
He shall inspect the yards, wards, cells,
worksheds and other enclosures,conservancy arrangements, and the
medical administration, shall see the food

115TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEREPORTS OF THE COURSE
and ascertain that it is of proper quality
and quantity and generally satisfy himselfthat the building and premises are inproper order. He shall satisfy himself thatthe orders of government regarding thearrangement and periodical destruction ofrecord are observed. Immediately after theinspection the I.G. shall furnish theSuperintendent with a memorandum
embodying his opinion of the manner inwhich the jail is administrated the extent
to which the officers appear familiar with
their duties, together with any suggestions
or orders for the guidance of theSuperintendent.
The Inspector General shall exercise fullcontrol over all expenditure in jails
submitting annually to government,
through a comptroller, a budget of the funds
necessary for their maintenance in such amanner and at such time as may berequired. All monthly and other bills for
jail expenses of every description shall be
submitted to and audited by the
Accountant General’s Office.
3. Indonesia
In Indonesia, the Superintendent ofprisons inspects blocks, cells, kitchens, foodrooms, etc, every day, except Saturday and
Sunday. If the Superintendent of prisonsfinds any complaint by the inmates, he will
discuss such matters with his staff to solve
the problem, but if the problem is found to
be serious, the Superintendent of prison
will form a Committee to investigate thecase. The result of investigation should bereported to the head of the branch office of
the Department of Law and Legislationand to the Director General of Correction.
There are three types of inspection for
prison conditions in government, theinspection by Inspector of Department of
Law and Legislation, inspection by
Director General of Correction and Staff
and inspection by Auditor of Development
and Finance Agency (every year, at the endof the fiscal year). Similarly, the membersof the House Representatives, theInternational Committee of Red Cross,Indonesia Branch and other religious
groups also visit the prisons. The Red
Cross and religious groups often provide
food and clothing to the inmates.
4. Japan
In Japan, the prison warden mustobserve the administration in prisons at
any time, and in case of complaints madeby inmates, he is ultimately responsible for
examining the contents of those complaints
and taking any action for the improvementof prison conditions if necessary.
On the other hand, regional correction
headquarters and inspecting officers who
are designated by the Minister of Justice,alternately visit each prison to inspect andensure proper administration every year.
In Japan, there are two types ofinspection in government. Administration
Inspection Bureau as a subordinate
department in Administration Affairs in
the Prime Minister’s Office and Board ofAudit, as a kind of independentadministrative committee, are supposed tomake inspections. Administration
Inspection Bureau inspects and ensures
the proper administration by eachdepartment of government, and the resultsof inspections are reported to the Cabinet
to a regular target.
On the other hand, the Board of Audit
inspects and ensures the proper executionof budget in each department ofgovernment, and also is obliged to submit
the reports to the Diet through Cabinet.
Thus, it can be inspected whether or notprison conditions are managed properly
from the point of execution of budget.
In Japan, there is no organization out ofgovernment which is designed to aim at

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 57
only watching correctional institutions.
However, many NGOs, such as the Japan
Federation of Bar Associations andAmnesty International Japan, function as
general human rights observer groups.
These groups propose the government
progress reformation with perspectives
different from government, and submit thereports to the United Nations. These
activities take part in the inspection of the
management of correctional institutions inJapan.
5. Nepal
There is no regular reporting system assuch in Nepal about prison conditions. But
the prison officer is required to submit amonthly report to the Chief District Officer.
The Chief District Officer should visit theprison on a regular basis and be aware of
the prison conditions. Prison officers arealso required to submit an annual reportabout the activities of the whole year at theend of each fiscal year. Non-Governmental
Organizations involved in the field of
human rights, on their request, are also
permitted to visit prisons.
So far as the proper utilization of thebudget allocated to the prison is concerned,
an internal audit is made by theComptroller General and final audit ismade by the Auditor General. This final
report is required to be submitted toparliament. Thus the system of checking
balances on the budget is transparent andaccountable.
The reporting system in most of theparticipants’ countries is not found to be
w o r k i n g p r o p e r l y, t h e r e f o r e , a n
independent, transparent, impartial andfair body should be set up and the power
to visit and inspect every prison should begiven to this body which shall report on
prison conditions to the Ministerconcerned. A copy of the report should besent to the parliament. If the reporting

414

system functions properly, the prison
conditions will be improved.

VII. CONCLUSION
This report was compiled following
extensive group discussions, where allmembers participated, expressing theirideas and bringing useful and relevant
perspectives from their own countries. The
discussion was augmented by the immense
contribution of our two faculty advisors andalso Mr. Grant, the visiting expert from
Australia.
The paper itself explains measures toimprove prison conditions and may notsatisfy all readers perceptions or thinking.
However, it may help others especially fromdeveloping countries to identify the
problems of impediment for improving
prison conditions that we have outlined inthis report and we hope that there will be
opportunities to implement some of thesolutions or countermeasures that we haveoutlined.
It is therefore necessary for all correction
administrators to work towards one
common goal and that is to provide humane
treatment to offenders taking into
consideration the human rights concept
thus helping them successfully to
reintegrate back into society.
In this regard well structured, improved
prison conditions contribute a lot to thepersonal development (attitude, behavior,
knowledge, skills) to successful integration.