Prisons and Correctional Administration Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Under the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958, the pre-sentence (probation officer's) report is placed before the court, so the judicial officer who decides the sentence receives it.

The probation officer is wrong: he prepares the report and is not the recipient. The police officer and the prosecution officer are wrong: they conduct investigation and prosecution and have no role in deciding on probation, which is the court's power.

Answer: D

Parole, the conditional release of a prisoner before the sentence ends, is granted by a Parole Committee or Board, which reviews the prisoner's conduct and the risk to society.

The police are wrong: they investigate and do not control release of convicts. The court is wrong: it imposes the sentence but does not grant parole. Prison officers are wrong: they supervise inmates and may recommend, but the decision rests with the board. Release on parole is also conditional, so a breach of the conditions can send the prisoner back to serve the rest of the sentence.

Answer: C

Probation in India is granted under the Juvenile Justice Act (II) and the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 (IV), so II and IV are correct.

The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (I) deals with trafficking and prostitution and the Protection of Human Rights Act (III) set up human rights commissions; neither is the source of a power to place an offender on probation. Hence the choices with I or III are wrong. Under the Probation of Offenders Act the court may release an offender on probation of good conduct after due inquiry, which is why option IV is the central one.

Answer: C

Open air jails take prisoners who have already served a part of their term with good conduct, since they are trusted to live with limited security and to work in farms or industry.

Educated prisoners and skilled prisoners are wrong: education or skill is not the criterion, and conduct and time served matter. Political prisoners are wrong: they are not admitted merely because of their status.

Answer: A

Remission is the reduction of the sentence period for good conduct or work in prison, earned under prison rules.

Parole is wrong: it is a temporary or conditional release, and the sentence continues to run. Furlough is wrong: it is a short leave from prison for a fixed period. Premature release is wrong: it is release before the term ends by an order of the government, not a reduction credited in prison administration. The three terms are often confused: remission shortens the sentence itself, while parole and furlough only suspend actual custody for a time.

Answer: C

Open air jails are founded on the philosophy of reformation, preparing prisoners for return to society by trust, work and low security.

Incarceration and protection of society are wrong: they rest on confinement and security. Retribution is wrong: it is a punitive aim, which open prisons do not stress. In such institutions inmates typically work on farms or in industry, earn wages and live under little supervision, which is the practical form of reformation.

Answer: C

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) publishes Prison Statistics India every year, together with Crime in India.

The National Institute of Social Defence works on social defence programmes. The Bureau of Police Research and Development works on police training and modernisation. The Registrar General of India runs the census, so none of them publishes prison statistics. The report gives data on jails, inmates, capacity, occupancy, convicts and undertrials, and caste or education profiles of prisoners.

Answer: C

Under the Probation of Offenders Act, the pre-sentence report is prepared by the probation officer, who inquires into the offender's character, antecedents and home surroundings for the court.

The police officer investigates the offence. The prosecution officer presents the state's case. The prison officer deals with inmates. None of them prepares the pre-sentence report. The court may call for it before deciding whether to release the offender on probation of good conduct instead of sentencing him.

Answer: C

The main purposes of releasing an offender on probation are reformation and rehabilitation (I), saving public money that would be spent on imprisonment (III) and using the family and community resources for the offender's supervision (IV). Concession to the wrong-doer (II) is not a purpose of probation, since it is a measure to help reform, not a favour. So the correct combination is I, III and IV, option C; options A and B include II and option D leaves out III.

Answer: C

Rigorous imprisonment is imprisonment with hard labour (d), simple imprisonment carries no labour (a), an under-trial prisoner is one who has not been sentenced (b) and detenues are political prisoners (c). So the codes are (d) (a) (b) (c), option C. Options A and B give rigorous imprisonment no labour, and option D confuses under trial with political prisoners and detenues with no labour.