Essay on The Problem of Criminality in Prisons in India !
Yet another problem relating to prison discipline concerns criminality among inmates inside the prison. The continuous long absence from normal society and detachment from members of the family deprives the inmates of their sex gratification which is one of the vital biological urges of human life. Not being able to control this sex desire, the prisoners quite often resort to unnatural offences such as homosexuality, sodomy etc.
Therefore, such offences and personal assaults are common inside prison walls. To suppress this menace, some of the advanced countries have permitted periodical conjugal visits for inmates so as to offer them a legitimate opportunity to pacify their sex urge and thus eliminate crimes of this nature in prisons. Some penologists have, however, opposed the idea of ‘conjugal visits’ on the ground that sexual deprivation must continue as one of the inevitable suffering of imprisoned life.
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That apart, conjugal visits seem unnecessary for three obvious reasons, namely, most prisoners are imprisoned for six months or less, quite a large number of them are unmarried or separated from their wives; and the provision of “home leave” and parole offers a much better and more natural solution than conjugal visits in the unfamiliar and embarrassing atmosphere of a prison.
The Indian prison management does not accept the idea of conjugal visits as the system of furlough and parole serves a more useful purpose so far marital relationship between spouses are concerned. That apart, such conjugal visits cannot be appreciated for the reason of morality and ethical considerations keeping in view the Indian values and cultural norms. The Prison Act, 1894 provides for release of prisoners on furlough and parole so as to maintain unity of their family life.
Another cause of criminality among prison inmates is their frequent quarrelling inside the institution. Every inmate tries to establish his superiority over his fellow prisoners. Therefore, prisoners often narrate with exaggeration the tales of their adventure and the dangers overcome by them while committing crime. The conversation on the subject often leads to a heated discussion and eventually results into use of force and intimidation.
At times, the situation takes the shape of a group rivalry resulting into clashes between the inmates. There are occasions when inmates quarrel on trifling matters like distribution of bread, toilets, etc. or the differences of their opinion about a particular warden, guard or jailor.
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The offences of petty thefts are also common in prisons because the inmates are supplied only the articles of bare necessities. Obviously, the articles usually stolen are usually soap, oil, utensils or a few loaves of bread which are supplied to inmates in prisons.
Last but not the least, the distrust and lack of faith among inmates for the prison authorities is yet another cause of tension in prisons. The tendency of disobedience to prison officials and defiance of prison regulations is common with prisoners. The officials of the prison, namely, the jailors, superintendents, wardens and guards on their part, are generally rough and tough with the inmates.
Some of them even resort to corrupt practices and extend undue favours to certain inmates in exchange for petty gains. This obviously causes resentment among other prisoners and thus a kind of cold war ensues between the inmates on one hand and the prison authorities on the other.