KP Prisons Act to undergo reforms through UNDP and EU’s new programme

Peshawar October 14 (Online): The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Home and Tribal Affairs Department have recently formulated a Rule of Law Road map to reform the criminal justice system pursuant to the Rule of Law Roadmap calls for a review and amendment in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Prison Act and Rules.

In this regard, UNDP Pakistan with support from the European Union (EU) organized a consultative session in Peshawar today.

The session provided a platform to the stakeholders to discuss the shortcomings in KP Prison Act, identify issues and challenges, and propose areas for improvement. This will lead toan improved legal framework for prisons in the province and will also help in overcoming challenges like overcrowding and abundance of under-trial prisoners in the KP prisons.

Inspector General KP Prison Mr. Khalid Abbas and UNDP Pakistan’s Rule of Law(Amn-o-Insaf) Programme Manager Mr. Darren Nance inaugurated the event.
In his remarks, Inspector General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prison Mr. Khalid Abbas said that the legal framework of prisons, although serving its purpose, is outdated and in dire need to be revised to meet the contemporary needs of a prison regime.

“Since its inception in 1894, it has only seen three revisions. I am thankful to the EU and UNDP for their work foran improved Prisons Act. KP Government is supporting this effort and we look forward to working together”, he said.

Darren Nance from UNDP said that this consultative session was an excellent exercise to engage experienced and relevant experts in the process.“Each participant present here today is of great value to the work we are doing. All your suggestions, recommendations and experiences shared today will contribute to revising the Prisons Act.”

The session was attended by senior prisons officers, representatives from KP Home & Tribal Affairs Department, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, UNDP, UN Women, and UNODCto share experiences, lessons learned, and recommend the most suitable legal framework for the prisons, based on the identified gaps.