Inmates of Sambhajinagar prison get smart cards to talk with kin, lawyers

Authorities have distributed smart cards to nearly 650 inmates from the Harsul Central Jail in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city to help them stay in touch with their family members and lawyers, an official said on Wednesday. The smart cards will allow the inmates to make three free calls, each for six minutes, a week, a district official said in a release. Many families cannot come to meet their prisoner relatives in jail due to financial conditions. Therefore, to connect the prisoners with their families (and lawyers), smart cards have been provided to 650 prisoners at Harsul jail, the release said. However, the release did not specify if the inmates can call only those numbers shared in advance with the jail authorities or any number they choose. The facility calling booth has been made available on the prison premises for the prisoners as well as those under judicial custody, it said. The Harsul correctional set-up is one of the nine central jails in Maharashtra.