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The government is considering legal reforms that would shorten the term of life imprisonment, according to Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
Speaking after a meeting at the home ministry on Sunday, Jahangir noted that the issue was part of wider discussions on prison reform, reports bdnews24.com.
“There are many problems in prisons that need reform,” he said.
“There was a discussion about reducing the life term from 30 years to a reasonable one. Arrangements can be made to release those who have reached old age. It has not been decided yet. Discussions are underway, but in the case of girls, I want to reduce it to 20 years. In the case of boys, it may be a little more.”
He added that the age of prisoners would also be taken into account. “If someone commits a crime at the age of 18, and is released after 20 years, then she will be 38. If she comes back and commits a crime, we will see what can be done. There should be some flexibility in the case of girls,” he said.
WHAT 'LIFE IMPRISONMENT' MEANS IN BANGLDESH
Although many assume that a “life term” means imprisonment until death, the law in Bangladesh is more nuanced. Section 57 of the Penal Code, 1860, provides that, for calculation purposes, life imprisonment is to be considered equivalent to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment.
This standard is used when courts calculate fractions of a sentence, for example, when granting remissions or combining multiple punishments.
However, this does not automatically mean that a life sentence ends after 30 years. Unless specifically defined as “until death”, a life sentence can run for the rest of a prisoner’s lifetime, unless commuted or pardoned by the state.
The home advisor also called for an increase in the prison budget, particularly for medicine, citing the rising number of elderly prisoners suffering from chronic illnesses.
Turning to preparations for the upcoming Durga Puja, Jahangir said: “It does not matter who belongs to which religion. We will do everything that is necessary to ensure that the worship is held peacefully in terms of preserving religious customs and purity.”
He urged the formation of local committees to raise concerns and resolve disputes in communities.
In response to a question, Jahangir said no one had yet received the reward announced for information leading to the recovery of looted weapons. “However, law-enforcing agencies are constantly recovering weapons,” he said.
He also claimed that law enforcement agencies had “fulfilled their responsibilities 100 percent” during the recent DUCSU and JUCSU elections.