24/12/2025
Conjugal rights in prisons refer to a prisoner’s right to physically meet their spouse, aiming to preserve emotional bonds, family life, and human dignity beyond virtual contact. Such visits help reduce stress, improve behaviour, support rehabilitation, and are closely linked to Article 21 rights like dignity, intimacy, and procreation. While many countries recognise conjugal or extended family visits as a humane prison practice, India lacks a uniform national policy, though some High Courts have permitted them in specific cases.
The article argues that recognising conjugal rights in India is especially important given the large number of undertrial prisoners, as it would protect spouses’ emotional well-being, reduce prison violence, strengthen family support, and promote reform over punishment. Thiruvenkadam's case from Kerala highlights the gap between legal principles and practice, reaffirming that emotional closeness and family life are integral to the right to life and dignity under Article 21.
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{Prison rights, prison Rights Monitoring project, human rights Kerala, maoist,political prisoner, jail, kerala, Kozhikode, kochi}