Reforming Justice: Transforming Punjab's Prisons with Technology and Care

The Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Bill, passed by the state assembly, aims to reform prisons into centers for rehabilitation, emphasizing the use of modern technology, human rights, security upgrades, healthcare, education, and skills training, enhancing transparency and accountability within the prison system.

The Punjab assembly has passed the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Bill, 2026, a legislative effort aiming to shift the role of prisons from mere confinement to centers of rehabilitation and social reintegration.

Punjab Jails Minister, Ravjot Singh, emphasized the Bill's focus on human rights, enhanced security, and transparency, along with extensive use of technology like e-prison systems, AI-based surveillance, and biometric identification.

Additional provisions include healthcare, education, and skill training for inmates, classified by age, gender, and health, with penalties for offenses within prisons and plans to address overcrowding in Punjab's 25 jails.