Annual Report 1999-2000 rank of Jail Superintendents, Deputy Jail Superintendents of the States of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The training syllabus included international standards on the rights of the prisoners, judgments of the Supreme Court on human rights of prisoners, an analysis of complaints received by the NHRC regarding violation of human rights in prisons, problems of the prison staff etc. The Commission intends to organize more such programmes and recommends that all State Governments/ Union Territories cooperate fully vdth such efforts. Improving Prison Administration 3.67 The Commission is of the opinion that to bring about a qualitative improvement in prison administration, it is imperative that the selection of ofTicers for the post of Inspector General of Prison, the executive head of prison administration, be done more carefully than has generally been the case till now. Only officers of proven integrity and competence should be selected for the post, and they should then be allowed to continue in the post for a minimum period of 3 years. Such continuity could impart the dynamism and efTiciency that is required in the leadership of prison administration. The Chairperson of the Commission, in his letter to the Chief Ministers, dated 21 December 1999 (Annexure IX), has therefore, recommended the need for a fixed tenure for Inspectors General of Prisons, as this would go a long way towards improving the quahty of prisons and promoting respect for human rights in the conduct of prison staff. Most of the Chief Ministers, in acknowledging the letter of the Chairman, have indicated their willingness to follow the recommendation contained in it. 3.68 The Commission remains deeply concerned about the predominance of undertrials in the population of prisons. In a letter to the Chief Justices of the High Courts, the Chairperson observed that during the last five years, the Members of the Commission and its senior officers had visited prisons in various parts of the country, and had been appalled by the spectacle of overcrowding, insanitary conditions and mismanagement in prison administration. The Chairperson requested the Chief Justices of all High Courts to issue clear instructions that Sessions Judges should visit prisons regularly and review the conditions of the prisoners. The District Judges, during their visits, could also look into the problems of the prisoners who had committed petty offences, and were languishing in jails because their cases were not being decided quickly for various reasons. The Commission has been heartened at the positive responses to this letter. Pursuant to the instructions of the Chief Justices, the Judicial Magistrates in certain States like Uttar Pradesh have been holding Lok Adalats in prisons. This has resulted in speedy disposal of petty cases. The High Court of Andhra Pradesh, in a circular, has given specific instructions to all District and Sessionsjudges to follow the recommendations made by the NHRC in respect of the speedy release of undertrials (Annexure X). 36