LAHORE: About 160 rooms for family visits for prisoners -- a project first proposed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s government -- are ready for use in three central jails of Punjab and the jail authorities are waiting for the government’s nod for staff recruitment and provision of required paraphernalia.

Amid concerns among jail officials about the effectiveness of the project, the construction phase for the family rooms in central jails of Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad was completed a couple of months ago but the work at the Rawalpindi Central Jail is still underway.

Officials say only a few countries of the world are providing such a facility to prisoners.

They say 54 family rooms and their regulatory offices in each jail were constructed by the provincial government in the light of the Supreme Court’s 2006 directive and after framing new rules, the government has spent Rs90m on the project but the delay in construction at Rawalpindi jail will raise the construction cost.

The family rooms, having a bathroom and kitchen, are aimed at providing the facility to convicts facing punishment for 10 years or more to keep their family (wife) with them once for three days in four months.

However, the facility will not be available to the convicts facing charges of terrorism, sectarianism and anti-state activities or having a poor disciplinary record in jails.

A source in the prisons department says there is a difference of opinion among the jail officers about the project as one section opposes the project, saying the facility will create social complications, breed corruption and cause misuse of homes by jail staff but there are also those who favour it, saying security risk and scarcity of resources cannot allow the department to send married prisoners to their homes.

The source says release of prisoners on a short parole as per prisons rules is usually done on special occasions like sudden deaths in convicts’ families for less than a day.

A senior official is of the view that use of family rooms by prisoners will open a new chapter of social evils and prompt jail officials to mint money from the prisoners and their families.

He says the confinement of prisoners with their wives in a room could also create security problems like matrimonial-related scuffles between the couples as jail warders will not be able to see the inmate due to the dual-lock system.

The official says the women family members wishing to see prisoners during meetings often complain about jail officials’ bad intention and harassment.

According to him, the government should amend prison rules to facilitate prisoners to visit their homes on a short parole to see their families. He cites example of Iran where prisoners are allowed to visit their homes for the purpose.

The official recalls that the project launched by the MMA government in KP to facilitate prisoners languishing in the jails of the province failed owing to social issues.

However, another official is of the view that the family homes are good initiative keeping in view shortage of security staff and resources and possibility of prisoners’ escape during or after transportation to their homes.

He says prisoners will be able to see their wives and families within jail in secured and cost-effective environment.

Inspector General of Prisons Mian Farooq Nazeer hopes that family rooms are likely to become functional from July 1, 2013 and that proposals for recruiting 192 officials and acquiring security gadgets, office equipment, furniture and other material have been submitted to the government in January.

He says security gadgets include scanning gates, metal detectors, and CCTVs besides an amount of Rs58m is required for each jail under heads of salaries, paraphernalia and running expenditure.

The IG prisons says each prisoner will have to apply through the district coordination office who will verify matrimonial evidence with the help of the police station concerned and the office of tehsildar.

The applicant will attach identity card and B-Form with the application and upon approval, his wife and children will be able to stay with him for four days once after four months, the IG says and adds that the department will also install fingerprints scanning system with the help of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to get biometrics of prisoners’ families.

The IG prisons is of the view that the project is secure and cost-effective as the department cannot financially afford transportation of prisoners to see their families even on a short parole.

He says a monitoring mechanism will be evolved to keep a check on jail officials dealing prisoners and their families.