Signaling the reform of Observation Homes meant to keep juveniles in conflict with law, the Supreme Court has sought to turn a new leaf in prison reforms by asking the Ministry of Women and Child Development to prepare a manual to deal with the living conditions of juveniles, issues of their mental, physical health, and rehabilitation.
This is the first time that the apex court has desired preparation of a comprehensive manual on juveniles housed in Observation Homes which is a welcome step, considering the pitiable conditions prevailing in several correctional homes where delinquents facing petty and heinous crimes stay.
Issuing the order on Friday, the bench of Justices Madan B lokur and RK Agarwal has sought a response from the Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development by March 14. While issuing notice to the Ministry, the bench observed, “The purpose of issuance of notice to the said Ministry is to require a manual to be prepared by the said Ministry that will take into consideration the living conditions and other issues pertaining to juveniles who are in Observation Homes or Special Homes or Places of Safety in terms of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.”
Although the judgment concerned prison reforms, the bench was impressed by the Model Prison Manual prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs and thought of having a manual for observation homes along the same lines.
A rough picture of what the proposed manual on Juvenile Homes will cater to can be gauged from the latest Prison Manual prepared by the MHA for the year 2016. The document contains 32 chapters with dealing with a variety of issues such as custodial management, medical care, education of prisoners, vocational training, skill development programmes, legal aid, welfare of prisoners, after care and rehabilitation, Board of Visitors, prison computerization, etc. While some issues could find resonance in observation homes too, the suggested manual may focus on areas exclusive to juveniles, such as periodic counseling, reform measures, and education.
Once the manual on juvenile homes is in place, there will be better accountability since the Prison Manual has an inbuilt provision for regular jail visits to ensure compliance on ground.