Shivani Thakur
Published on: June 11, 2022, at 15:20 IST
The Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to consider premature release of life-term offenders under the age of 60, as part of a change to its prison policy.
According to the new policy, an offender sentenced to life in prison for a crime such as murder will be considered for release only after serving 16 years without remission or 20 years with remission in prison.
Anand Kumar, the Director General of Prisons in Uttar Pradesh, said the new policy will assist a large number of lifers and would help decongest overcrowded jails across the state.
In Uttar Pradesh, condemned inmates are housed in Central Jails in Prayagraj, Varanasi, Fatehgarh, Etawah, Bareilly, and Agra. According to a Senior Jail Official, the State’s 63 District Jails are also used to keep convicted inmates. Inmates with good records in prison are sent to Lucknow’s Model Jail. In Bareilly, woman’s Central Jail has also been established.
The UP Prisons Administration & Reform Services Department sent a letter to all District and Central Jails, requesting information on offenders who would be covered by the new policy. Some jail officials have forwarded such information to the Lucknow Prison Headquarters.
In 2018, the State Administration drafted a policy permitting life-sentenced inmates to be released early, with no age limit. The Government changed it in 2021, stating that a life-sentenced offender would be eligible for early release only after reaching the age of 60. This age restriction has been abolished.
The State Government has also included a language in the updated policy that says the Release Proposal Committee, which decides on the premature release of life-term prisoners can cancel an inmate’s release if it causes a law-and-order crisis.