The team of Jail Committee Members during the inspection at the District Jail Zunheboto on March 7. (Photo Courtesy: PRA, NSLSA)
Zunheboto, March 7 (MExN): A team of Jail Committee Members (JCM), led by Neiko Akami, NJS, Member Secretary of the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA), and Solezhol Neikha, Senior Superintendent of Police of Central Jail Dimapur, conducted an inspection at the District Jail Zunheboto on March 7.
The visiting delegation was accompanied by Phuleto Yeptho, NJS, District and Sessions Judge cum Chairman of the Zunheboto District Legal Services Authority (ZDLSA), along with Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) and ZDLSA panel lawyers.
During the visit, the team inspected various sections of the facility, including the prison cells, the handicraft area, women's cell, and Legal Aid Clinic operating within the jail premises.
The officials also interacted with the inmates.
Addressing the prisoners, Member Secretary Neiko Akami emphasized the critical aspects of inmate reformation, the implementation of vocational training programs, and ensuring access to free legal aid. He stressed the importance of protecting the dignity of incarcerated individuals and focusing on rehabilitation to lower the likelihood of reoffending.
Solezhol Neikha, Sr SP Central Jail Dimapur, elaborated on the remuneration system for inmates. He explained the wages structure and its legal standing, noting that the payments are part of a rehabilitation process designed to help inmates reintegrate into society by providing them with skills and savings for life after prison. He also clarified the concept of ordinary and special remission, which refers to the reduction of a sentence earned through good conduct, industrial labour, or exceptional services, as regulated by the state-specific jail manual.
District and Sessions Judge Phuleto Yeptho addressed the inmates on the key differences between Under-Trial Prisoners (UTPs) and convicts. He underscored that the objective of imprisonment is not to retaliate against an offender but to reform them. “It aims to make a prisoner a better human being by transitioning from punitive measures to correctional methods so that they can become a good citizen and a useful person for society in the future,” he said.
Based on requests from the inmates, the Member Secretary (NSLSA) and members of the JCM recommended the installation of Western-style commodes in the female ward and the setting up of a chapel hall within the jail premises.
According to official records, the District Jail Zunheboto currently houses 12 Under-Trial Prisoners (UTPs) and two convicts.
