Yerawada jail shifts from coin box phones to smart cards

PUNE: The state prisons department, on a pilot basis, has replaced the age-old coin box phones with new smart card ones at Yerawada central jail.
The new inmate calling system, inaugurated on Friday, will enable prisoners to make calls thrice a month for 10 minutes each to their family members and lawyers. "The facility will not be available for prisoners who are accused/convicted of organised crimes and terrorism," ADGP (prisons), Amitabh Gupta said.
According to Gupta, the smart card system will be introduced in other jails across the state in a phased manner. "It will be based on how the system works in Yerawada jail," he added. Gupta said that Yerawada houses a total of 6,785 inmates, including 268 women. "To begin with, we have given smart cards to 25 prisoners. Each smart card has three numbers - family member, relative and inmate's lawyer - saved in them. This will enable the inmates to make a call from the place where they are lodged," the officer said.
Gupta said that inmates have also been trained to insert the smart card into the device, and select the call option from the saved numbers. "The facility is available round-the-clock for inmates, who will bear the charges of the calls. This system will also help them stay mentally fit and reduce incidents of fights among inmates," he added.
Jail officials said the department has taken consent of inmates to record and monitor conversations. In case of misuse, officials said, the inmate concerned will face action. Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh apart from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana have the smart card systems in jails.