DEHRADUN : Prisoners in Uttarakhand will now be fitted with a GPS tracking device before being released from jail on parole, said the state’s DIG Prisons. The wearable device, which is a wristband, will enable real-time location tracking, preventing convicts from evading the authorities.Speaking to this newspaper, DIG Prisons, Dadhi Ram Maurya, said, “The arrangement is being made under the new Jail Act. The prison administration will be notified if a prisoner removes or tampers with the wristband or deviates from the designated location. Furthermore, if the prisoners violate the rules, their subsequent leaves may also be put on hold.”Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of convicts and under-trial prisoners were granted parole from the state prisons under government regulations. However, despite strict enforcement, over 450 prisoners who were granted parole have yet to return.“With the introduction of this new act, we will now be able to tackle the issue of prisoners failing to return from parole,” Maurya said.According to government sources, the Uttarakhand Prisons and Correctional Services Act 2024, passed recently, includes a provision for the use of electronic devices on prisoners. Section 29 of the bill proposes the use of GPS tracking devices on prisoners on leave, allowing for real-time monitoring.“As per the new law, if a prisoner is granted leave, a Global Positioning System (GPS ) tracking device can be fitted as an ankle bracelet, enabling authorities to track their movements,” sources explained.The state minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Prem Chand Agarwal, said, “The Centre has reviewed and amended the 1894 Jail Act, inherited from the British era. Following consultations with prison authorities and reform experts, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) drafted the Model Prison and Correctional Services Act 2023.” Once adopted, this draft will automatically repeal the existing Prison Act 1894, Prisoners Act 1900, and Transfer of Prisoners Act 1950.
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