There have been incidents in the recent past where hardened criminals and high-pro­­file terrorists were freed in prison breaks.

Our prisons are still built and operated on the lines of the obsolete Prisons Act, 1894, bequeathed by our colonial masters. Their biggest shortcoming is the insecure perimeter and overcrowding which makes it difficult for jail staff to maintain security/systems and keep the criminals segregated.

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Punjab has the most overcrowded jails (holding more than double their capacity) followed by Sindh. The total number of jails in Pakistan is 99 (including Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan), all designed and run in accordance with colonial-era standards rather than in accordance with modern requirements.

Our jails are not built to counter the threat posed by hardened terrorists and their sophisticated accom­plices, well-armed and trained, always planning jail breaks.

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None of our jails can be designated as a maximum security prison to hold the most dangerous criminals/terrorists.

Maximum security prisons are necessary to detain violent criminals.

Furthermore, if the government decides to reinstate the moratorium on the death penalty, adequate arrangements must be put in place to hold hardened and violent criminals. A maximum security prison would be the appropriate kind of facility.

The government should consider the construction of federal prisons in all provinces.

These facilities should be managed by federal personnel, an essential requirement as it is difficult to change the mindset and behaviour of the age-old provincial jail departments.

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This new federal prisons staff can be trained in dealing with hardened criminals as well as the use of sophisticated electro-mechanical security apparatus. The standard operating procedures for this force should be very well thought out and strictly implemented.

The following points need consideration while planning such prisons:

– They should be situated well away from existing population centres.

– One kilometre around the prison should be designated a prohibited zone for all kinds of construction.

– Prison blocks must be constructed differently from the existing ones. Ideally, star-shaped prisoners’ residence blocks offer the advantages of better air ventilation, enhanced observation for guards and good control for management.

– The construction of prisoners’ cells needs special attention to make them secure and adequately comfortable.

– A triple layer perimeter will provide extra reinforcement to prison premises. It can be a fence-wall-fence arrangement with motion sensors, CCTV and even electrified wires.

– Entrances/exits for visitors and staff/servi­ces should be kept separate. Vehicle en­trap­­ment areas must be made at all gates where vehicle are entrapped before checking.

– The area around the prison blocks and between perimeter layers must be kept free of vegetation (denying cover and concealment for any would-be escapees).

– Watchtowers with powerful searchlights and long-range rifles at appropriate distances would engage intruders whether from within the prison or without.

– The one-kilometre no-construction zone around prisons should be kept vegetation free.

– Blocks can be designated according to different categories of prisoners, and security and control mechanisms in these adjusted accordingly.

– There should be inbuilt mobile phone jammers in these prisons so that mobiles will not work even if corrupt staff does slip them to prisoners. The jamm­ers should be password protected with no one other than the jail sup­erintendent allow­ed to turn these off.

– Prisoner cell doors should also have electronic locks and data logging (similar to hotel room doors) to deter any undue favours from jail staff.

– The training of the prison staff is of utmost importance. Appropriate steps can be taken to hire trainers from the private sector, or jail staff schools in friendly foreign countries can be used for the first batch/batches.

– A fully equipped medical detention centre must be available inside the jail premises to deal with most medical emergencies. Appropriate staff and doctors should also be available round the clock.

– For better functioning and transparency, a third party should be responsible for technical audit of procedures and systems in these prisons.

These steps, which make life in maximum security prisons much more difficult and disciplined than ordinary prisons, are essential to create deterrence in the minds of hardened criminals. It is well known that high-profile criminals manage to obtain facilities inside ordinary prisons by using influence and bribe, but the controls and checks outlined above make undue favours to prisoners difficult. Maximum security facilities will also help overcrowding in existing prisons.

The writer is a retired military officer who has dealt with physical security and intelligence gathering.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2015

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