NCW suggests National Commission for Prisons, special body for women inmates

New Delhi, June 10: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has recommended the establishment of a statutory National Commission for Prisons and proposed wide-ranging legal reforms to create a gender-responsive correctional system, with a special focus on the rights and welfare of women prisoners.
The recommendations are part of the Commission’s Law Review 2025-26 report on laws relating to women in prisons.
“The NCW, under the leadership of Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, has submitted its Recommendatory Report for Law Review 2025-26 on Laws Relating to Women in Prisons, proposing comprehensive reforms to create a gender-responsive, humane, and rights-based correctional system across the country,” it said on Wednesday.
The report proposes amendments to the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023; Prisons Act, 1894; Model Prison Manual, 2016; Repatriation of Prisoners Act, 2003; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; Mental Healthcare Act, 2017; HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017; and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, among other legislations.
The commission informed that a key proposal in the report is the establishment of an independent National Commission for Prisons to monitor prison administration, safeguard prisoner rights, oversee correctional reforms and ensure accountability in custodial institutions across the country, with special focus on the needs and rights of women prisoners. (PTI)