Dhaka:The Department of Prisons has launched initiatives to improve healthcare for children living with their incarcerated mothers. This includes appointing specialist doctors, increasing the number of nurses, recruiting pharmacists, and expanding daycare facilities in prisons nationwide.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, plans are underway to set up daycare centers in all 75 prisons in phases, ensuring round-the-clock medical services. Currently, around 3,800 female inmates are housed in prisons across the country, with 350 children, including 178 boys and 172 girls, residing with their mothers, as regulations permit children below the age of six to stay with their mothers in prison.
Additional Inspector General of Prisons Colonel Mesbahul Alam Salim expressed the government's commitment to enhancing healthcare and facilities for these children. Specialist doctors, additional nurses, and pharmacists are expected to be appointed soon. At present, daycare facilities are available in eight prisons, including Kashimpur Women's Central Jail, Sylhet Central Jail, Rajshahi Central Jail, and Khulna District Jail.
Children in these facilities receive medical care from prison doctors, and breastfeeding children are provided with milk and nutritious food as determined by prison hospital doctors. If a child requires additional food, the attending doctor will recommend it to the prison superintendent.
For children over three, primary education is available at daycare centers, alongside cultural and recreational activities such as singing, dancing, and drawing. Prisons also offer playgrounds, classrooms, libraries, and sports equipment.
Jailor (Logistics and Media) Mohammad Masud Hasan Jewel stated that local prison authorities arrange daily meals and medical care for children at daycare centers. Clothing is provided based on the financial situation of their mothers, with new clothes distributed on special occasions.
Senior Jail Superintendent of Kashimpur Women's Central Jail Mohammad Nazrul Islam noted that the prison currently houses 813 female inmates and 60 children. Efforts are ongoing to expand daycare facilities and improve healthcare services, as well as broader programs for prisoner correction and rehabilitation, including sports, cultural activities, religious education, and counseling.
The Department of Prisons traces its origins to 1788 during British rule, with the establishment of a criminal ward in Old Dhaka. Prisons were later set up at district and sub-divisional headquarters across undivided India in 1836, with an integrated prison management system introduced in 1864.