In India, inmates refuse to leave prison for fear of "Covid-19"
In one of the strangest repercussions of the spread of the Corona epidemic, prison inmates in western India refused to take advantage of the right to parole, preferring to stay behind bars for fear of the impact of the “Covid-19” virus outside the prison walls.
Following the refusal of at least 26 convicts in Maharashtra state prisons to leave on provisional bail or the right to parole, the Mumbai High Court ruled that no prisoner could be forced out against his will in emergency parole.
"They said they are concerned about the chances of getting a job or livelihood during the lockdown," the director of the Tulaga prison in Mumbai told the Indian Express.
Justifying his refusal to take advantage of the opportunity to get out of prison, as part of the authorities' efforts to implement recommendations to reduce overcrowding inside prisons, Madan said in his late thirties that he was afraid that he would become a burden on his family in light of the conditions in the country, preferring to continue to earn wages in exchange for his work in prison.
Since the outbreak of the “Covid-19” epidemic last year, and the issuance of the directives of the Supreme Court of India to reduce overcrowding in prisons to ensure the application of Corona epidemic protocols, more than 1,000 prisoners have been released on emergency terms from the various 46 prisons of Maharashtra.
Source:1
