Prison Institutions - Prisoners on Remand: Rs 444 Million Annually
The total cost of keeping prisoners on remand has been estimated at Rs 444 million annually, accounting for 43% of the budget. As of August 2025, out of 2,842 detainees, 1,223, or 43%, were in remand detention in our prisons.
To address this issue, the audit office recommends establishing a committee comprising the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, representatives from the Attorney General's office, the police, and correctional services, aimed at expediting the processing of cases for detainees on remand and thereby reducing the financial and social problems that arise from it.
Beau-Bassin Prison: Rs 220,995 Monthly for IP-based CCTV Rental
A rental contract for 295 IP surveillance cameras, including an integrated monitoring system, installation, and works, was awarded to a company on December 13, 2023, at a monthly rent of Rs 220,995 over a period of 60 months, totaling Rs 13.3 million.
The installation work duration was set for 180 days starting from July 2024. The contract was signed on April 19, 2024.
Starting from September 2025, the CCTV rental contract was extended on a month-to-month basis pending the completion of the works assigned to the new provider.
The new provider ceased operations on May 28, 2025, and did not respond to requests from the correctional service. By September 2025, 195 surveillance cameras and the additional equipment specified in the specifications had not been installed. The audit office recommends necessary measures against the supplier in cases of non-compliance.
Malfunctioning BOSS Chair
The BOSS chair is a specialized chair designed for detecting concealed objects within the body. This chair, assigned to Beau-Bassin prison, has been out of service since April 15, 2025, and is deemed irreparable.
Defective Jammers at Melrose
Signal jammers, which help limit the use of mobile phones among the inmate population, are defective at the high-security Melrose prison and have not been replaced since 2017.
The audit office criticizes the role of the prison commissioner for failing to take appropriate measures to timely replace the BOSS chair and the defective jammers.
The report also laments that the correctional administration has no policy or maintenance plan for its security infrastructure.
Maintenance Committee
The audit office recommends that the BOSS chair and the jammers be replaced as soon as possible to avoid potential security breaches and advocates for the establishment of a “Maintenance Committee.”
High-Security Melrose Prison: Numerous Identified Failures
The Melrose Eastern High Security Prison (MEHSP) features sophisticated security infrastructure, but according to an onsite study conducted for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, a list of deficiencies has been identified, including the failure to install surveillance cameras in several blind spots.
Absence of Cameras in Prisoner Transport Vehicles
The vehicles used for transporting detainees were not equipped with surveillance cameras, posing significant security risks during the movement and transfer of prisoners.