Govt eyes preparing prisoners’ database

The government will prepare a database of prisoners across the country. The Security Service Division of the home ministry has undertaken a pilot project to prepare the database, sources in the division and the jail department said. Mohibul Haque, additional secretary (jail), Security Service Division of the home ministry, told The Independent that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, would provide financial and technical help in preparing the database of prisoners. “We’re trying to start the work next month. We’ll start a pilot project—one in the Dhaka Central Jail and the other in any district jail—to prepare a database. Before staring the pilot project, the UNODC will provide training and software to our people to complete the project. It will help us to give online access-permission to prisoners’ family members to meet their relatives in jail,” he said.

Speaking to this correspondent, a senior officer of a jail said they would prepare the database in three to five categories such as top terror/notorious criminals, death-row prisoners, lifers, and other prisoners.

Currently, there are 608 undertrial prisoners languishing in 60 jails across the country for over five years. Of them, 98 are in the Chittagong district jail; 75 in the Kashimpur central jail-2; 42 in the high-security central jail; 32 in the Mymensingh district jail; 31 in the Cox’s Bazar district jail; 38 in the Narayanganj district jail; 21 in the Sylhet central jail; 17 in the Comilla district jail; 12 each in Chuadanga, Jhinaidah and Khulna district jails; 11 in the Moulvibazar district jail; 13 in the Rajshahi central jail; and 10 in the Narshingdi district jail. There are a total of 81,347 prisoners in the jails against the capacity of 34,681. Of them, 1,160 are death-row inmates. Last year, a central database comprising of different types of information about prisoners across the country was launched at the Rapid Action Battalion Headquarters in the capital's Uttara.

At the ceremony, RAB officials said using the database it would be easy for them to determine the types of crime the inmates committed. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who inaugurated the Prison Inmate Database, said the information about criminals' escape and entrance to the country would be available in it. The database will be integrated with the national ID cards and passport database, he said.

Govt eyes preparing prisoners database

The government will prepare a database of prisoners across the country. The Security Service Division of the home ministry has undertaken a pilot project to prepare the database, sources in the division and the jail department said. Mohibul Haque, additional secretary (jail), Security Service Division of the home ministry, told The Independent that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, would provide financial and technical help in preparing the database of prisoners. Were trying to start the work next month. Well start a pilot projectone in the Dhaka Central Jail and the other in any district jailto prepare a database. Before staring the pilot project, the UNODC will provide training and software to our people to complete the project. It will help us to give online access-permission to prisoners family members to meet their relatives in jail, he said. Speaking to this correspondent, a senior officer of a jail said they would prepare the database in three to five categories such as top terror/notorious criminals, death-row prisoners, lifers, and other prisoners. Currently, there are 608 undertrial prisoners languishing in 60 jails across the country for over five years. Of them, 98 are in the Chittagong district jail; 75 in the Kashimpur central jail-2; 42 in the high-security central jail; 32 in the Mymensingh district jail; 31 in the Coxs Bazar district jail; 38 in the Narayanganj district jail; 21 in the Sylhet central jail; 17 in the Comilla district jail; 12 each in Chuadanga, Jhinaidah and Khulna district jails; 11 in the Moulvibazar district jail; 13 in the Rajshahi central jail; and 10 in the Narshingdi district jail. There are a total of 81,347 prisoners in the jails against the capacity of 34,681. Of them, 1,160 are death-row inmates. Last year, a central database comprising of different types of information about prisoners across the country was launched at the Rapid Action Battalion Headquarters in the capitals Uttara. At the ceremony, RAB officials said using the database it would be easy for them to determine the types of crime the inmates committed. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who inaugurated the Prison Inmate Database, said the information about criminals escape and entrance to the country would be available in it. The database will be integrated with the national ID cards and passport database, he said.