Policy challenges discussed at National Conference of Correctional Administrators

Prison administrators address policy challenges and modernization strategies at the National Conference of Correctional Administrators in Visakhapatnam.

The second day of the 9th National Conference of Correctional Administrators, organised by the Andhra Pradesh Prisons Department and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), in the city on Thursday, focused on the key policy and operational challenges in prison administration.

Participating in the valedictory as the chief guest, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V. Anitha emphasised that prisons were no longer merely custodial institutions but a vital pillar of the criminal justice system, with the responsibilities extending to human dignity, rehabilitation, and social reintegration.

She highlighted the need for modernisation, technology-driven administration, and humane correctional practices, while maintaining the highest standards of safety, discipline, and security.

Ms. Anitha also underlined that States must align prison administration and procedures with the spirit of the new laws to ensure transparency, accountability, and swift delivery of justice.

Earlier in the day, group discussions were held, wherein senior prison administrators, in four parallel groups, deliberated upon ‘Strategies for effective implementation of the Support to Poor Prisoners Scheme and the Modernisation of Prisons Project’; Challenges in adoption of the Model Prison Manual, 2016; Model Prisons & Correctional Services Act, 2023 and implementation of Section 479 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS); and others.