Kathmandu, June 18: Prisons should not be considered as homes for torture, but they should be developed as correction homes, and inmates treated as per democratic norms and values.

All the prisons of the country are in a dismal state, and several jails are accommodating inmates more than their capacity.

The persons suffering from chronic and serious diseases are also forced to live with normal people and they are also deprived of such facilities as health, education, sports and other 
entertainment activities.

According to a report of the House of Representatives State Affairs Committee, the prisons in the country have the capacity of accommodating 7,233 persons.

The total number of prisoners and detainees stands at 5,883.

There are a total of 111 child inmates, but they are not provided with necessary facilities by the state, says the report, adding it is impractical and inhuman to deprive nursing mothers of minimum facilities they are entitled to and to deny facilities to children unless they reach seven years.

The report also points to the lack of drinking water, electricity, bed-clothes, training to enhance vocational skills and toilet facility at the prisons.

Various items prepared by the prison inmates do not receive fair prices and there is no separate space for women in several districts.

The committee has suggested 50 crash and three long-term measures to improve the conditions of prisons.

This was said at a press meet organised with a view to providing information about the report presented by committee chairman Homnath Dahal at the House of Representatives yesterday.