Punjab to allow prison conjugal visits from today

CHANDIGARH: Punjab is going to become the first state in the country to launch conjugal visits for jail inmates with good conduct in three prisons from September 20, allowing the prisoners an opportunity for some intimacy with their spouse during incarceration.
Punjab jails minister Harjot Singh Bains said that conjugal visits are permitted in many countries including the US, Germany, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Brazil, France and Denmark. The average time of conjugal visit will be two hours and the project will kickstart from three prisons - central jail at Goindwal Sahib, women's jail at Bathinda and new district jail at Nabha. The visit shall be allowed once in two months subject to the availability of infrastructures.
The minister told TOI that the initiative was taken by the AAP government to better the conduct of prisoners, encourage stronger family bonds, cut negative impact of imprisonment and improve prisoners' chances of rehabilitation in society.
The state prisons department has so far received 102 applications from jail inmates for conjugal visits, and 26 out of the 62 eligible women prisoners of women’s jail at Bathinda have been shortlisted for the first phase starting on September 20. But the state government guidelines make it clear that conjugal visits are a privilege and not a right. The prisons department has designated a room with attached washroom and basic furniture for conjugal visits in secure locations of prisons.
These conjugal visits will start in three more prisons – central jails at Amritsar and Faridkot, and district jail at Muktsar Sahib – on September 25. This programme will then start in other three prisons – central jails at Bathinda and Gurdaspur, and district jail Mansa – on September 30. Bains said Punjab jails department had on September 15 launched the ‘Parivar Mulakat’ or the family visit scheme from Ludhiana central jail so that jail inmates would get a chance opportunity to meet maximum number of five family members for an hour .