What We Do
Monitoring of children in prison through jail visits and collection of information of pre-sentence and sentenced children in the Punjab.
Publishing of reports on the situation of children in prison and issues of concern in the criminal justice process.
Training of prison staff, probation officers, police and magistrates on international standards of juvenile justice.
Policy and law reform recommendations and advocacy campaigns based on issues identified from information on children in prisons, legal defense of children in conflict with the law and interviews with child prisoners and their families.
Legal aid to children in prison.
Education for children in Prison (ECIP): This is an initiative taken by the CRU to research and design a more dynamic education and awareness program for children in prison, especially suited to the needs of under trial children. This is a knowledge-based program that imparts social awareness and human rights values to children.
Juvenile Prison Population Chart
| Year | Number of Children entering Punjab Prisons |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2610 |
| 2012 | 2452 |
| 2013 | 1662 |
| 2014 | 2057 |
| 2015 | 2287 |
| 2016 | Not available |
| 2017 | 1556 |
| 2018 | 1292 |
| 2019 | 1304 |
| 2020 | 1246 |
| 2021 | 1671 |
Impact
The Unit has been able to achieve a record of successful advocacy in this area. Contributions of the Unit in the promulgation of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 through its advocacy, public interest litigation and reporting on children in prison is widely acknowledged. It has carried out extensive training of prison staff and authorities on the rights of the child, and was able to draw attention to the absence of appropriate facilities for placement of children in conflict with the law through several cases filed in the superior courts.
After the promulgation of the Ordinance in 2000, the Unit has conducted periodical surveys of the functioning of the juvenile courts and has made comprehensive recommendations on the effective implementation of the special law.