Mandi’s old prison to become women’s jail

The Department of Prisons and Correctional Services has submitted a proposal to the state government for the conversion of the old jail in Mandi into the first women’s jail of the state. At present, there are around 97 women convicts lodged in various prisons of the state.

A Spokesperson for the Department of Prisons said that a new jail was being constructed in Mandi district. He added that the department had proposed to convert the old building of the jail into the first women’s prison. The proposal has been prepared and sent to the state government. Further decision regarding the jail will be taken after receiving the government approval.

He said, “A new building of the jail is being constructed at Ner Chowk and the inmates of the present jail will be shifted there. The old jail will then be converted into a women’s jail and the inmates will be shifted there.”

Besides, three new jails are proposed in Shimla, Solan and Kangra districts. For this, the department has initiated the process to identify the land for the jails. Besides, a proposal to convert the Sub Jail, Kullu, into the District Jail, Lahaul and Spiti, is also in the pipeline.

There are 15 jails in the state, including district jails, sub jails and open air jails. These prisons have the capacity to accommodate around 2,400 inmates but more than 3,000 inmates have been lodged there.