Pokhara, August 18

With the new penal code coming into force, anyone under the age of 18 kept in prisons and detention will be transferred to correctional homes.

According to Prison Management Department Director General Hari Mainali, they have collected the details of all inmates between the age of 16 and 18 across the country. “As the new penal code envisions sending the persons below the age of 18 to child correctional homes, we’ve collected their details and also given instruction as to where to send them,” said Mainali.

So far, the government has brought into operation child correctional homes in Biratnagar, Bhaktapur and Pokhara. Soon, such homes will also come into operation in Parsa, Makawanpur, Rupandehi, Banke and Doti.

According to Mainali, some 300 persons will be kept in the new child correctional homes.

There are seven inmates below the age of 18 in Kaski prison. Of them, five have been kept in prison following court’s verdict, while other two are awaiting trial. Though there is a child correctional home in Kaski’s Sarangkot and it’s already grappling with kids more than its capacity. In Syangja, there are three inmates between the age of 16 and 18.