‘Books on wheels’: Delhi Prisons starts reading initiative for jail inmates

Under the initiative , a handcart loaded with books is taken around cells and barracks, offering prisoners the choice to borrow books without visiting the library

The Delhi prison administration has started an initiative called the “books on wheels”, under which a handcart loaded with books is taken around cells and barracks, offering prisoners the choice to borrow books without visiting the library, officials aware of the development said.

Before this initiative was launched, jail inmates had to take permission from the superintendent to leave their cells or barracks to go to the library. (HT PHOTO)

Before this initiative was launched, jail inmates had to take permission from the superintendent to leave their cells or barracks to go to the library. Prison officials said they started “books on wheels” to encourage prisoners to take to reading.In the last three weeks, since the launch of this initiative, most prisoners have chosen to read religious books and legal books. Prison officials said that they are studying the types of books that most prisoners prefer and will get them to add to the collection.

A prison spokesperson said, “We started this project in jail number 4. We have 3,554 books currently. The number of books will increase in the days to come. The hand cart has hundreds of books, which is taken across all jails. We have books in different languages. Around 120 prisoners are already using this facility. They have borrowed nearly 400 books. Prisoners are borrowing religious books and also books on law. We will start this facility in other jails too.”

Prison officials said that they have taken cue from the best practices adopted by prisoners in other parts of the world. The officials said that studies in other prisons have shown that when books of interest are delivered directly to the prisoners, they spend their time immersed in the books rather than mixing up with other troublesome inmates.

In Delhi’s jails, where around 20,000 prisoners live in cells and barracks, making it the most populated prison complex in the country, most prisoners have in the past requested books on Mahatma Gandhi or those written by the leader.

A prisoner, who spent over two decades behind bars, said, “I have seen that a literate person prefers to read law books understand his/her case. There are many who have even studied law and become LLB graduates while spending their days behind bars. There is another category of prisoners, who turn religious and want to repent for the crimes. Every sub-jail has a library. In my time, I would see prisoners reading books by Mahatma Gandhi.”