The decision was taken by the cabinet late on Tuesday, according to government spokeswoman Asma Khodr.

But Khodr said the committee, comprising five judges, the head of the prisons department, and an interior ministry official, will not look into the case of an inmate allegedly tortured to death earlier this month.

“This is a legal issue,” Khodr said about the death of Abdullah Al Mashabka on September 1, reportedly during a brawl between inmates and prison guards at the Juweida prison.

Jordan’s independent National Center for Human Rights has submitted a scathing report about events leading to Mashabka’s death, suggesting he was tortured.

In an in-depth survey on prison conditions, it said inmates are subjected to “beatings and lashings as well as suffering from other human rights breaches,” the report said.

Khodr said the committee held its first meeting on Tuesday in the presence of Justice Minister Salah Al Bashir to look into the reports and prepare a response to them.

But she reiterated that the main problem facing Jordanian prisons is overcrowding – echoing remarks made earlier this week by Bashir, who said Juweida prison alone held around 600 inmates more than its 1,000-prisoner capacity.

Khodr said the government plans to expand capacity by building new prisons.

Meanwhile the government has ordered increased security at Jordan’s nine prisons to prevent the smuggling of drugs or “prohibited material such as razor blades,” which can be used by inmates to inflict wounds, she said.

Psychiatric treatment and vocational training will also be provided.AFP