In pursuance with an order of the Orissa High Court, the State Government has constituted an Odisha Prisons Development Board to improve and modernise the infrastructure facility in the prisons.    

The Chief Secretary has been appointed as Chairman of the Board while the Director General of Prisons and Director of Correctional Services is the Member-Convener.

The other Members are Secretaries of Home, Finance, Law, Revenue, Higher Education, Skill Development, Women & Child Development, Health and Electronic & IT.

The Chairman may co-opt any other official member as and when required. The Chairman can also invite any non official in cases to seek his/her inputs on matters of prison administration.

As per a notification of the Home Department, the meeting of the Board will be held at least once in every six months while an urgent meeting can be conveyed at any time.

The board will function to examine the living conditions of the prisoners in all the prisons, with specific reference to their basic needs and provisions of facilities compatible with the dignity of human life. It will also suggest measures to reform and re-assimilate the prisoners in the social milieu by giving them appropriate correctional treatment. It will suggest construction of new prisons where the existing prisons are not in a satisfactory condition or are beyond repairs.

The board will prepare an action plan for three to five years for the overall development of the prisons. For this, it may seek the help of a third party for various inputs.