Odisha cops visit Hry jails to study prison reforms, unique initiatives

Gurugram: Manoj Chabbra, director-general of Odisha prison department, on Tuesday visited jails in Bhondsi and Rohtak to take stock of the technology and security system, which has been implemented in the jails and has been replicated by several other states, said officials

Gurugram: Manoj Chabbra, director-general of Odisha prison department, on Tuesday visited jails in Bhondsi and Rohtak to take stock of the technology and security system, which has been implemented in the jails and has been replicated by several other states, said officials.

Manoj Chabbra, director-general of Odisha prison department, on Tuesday visited jails in Bhondsi and Rohtak to take stock of the technology and security system there, said officials. (SOURCED)

Chabbra said that “the challenge in resources is a shortfall for them”. “The jail visits were an eye-opener for us, in terms of technology and correctional facilities. We need more human initiatives, and we can follow the security system implemented in Haryana prisons,” he said, adding that the “high-security cells designed for the gangsters proved helpful in controlling their access to networks, and similar other activities inside the jails, and are very innovative”.

“The dreaded gangsters are hardly allowed to interact with other inmates. Under this high-security system, it is quite difficult for them to communicate with other gang members,” Chabbra said, adding, “We have 87 jails in Odisha and will try to implement some of the initiatives there too.”

Muhammad Akil, director-general of police (prison), said the Haryana prison authorities mainly focus on security, safety, and reformation of inmates. “We have model jails in Haryana, and officials from other states often visit our jails and implement some of the initiatives at their jails too. Most of the jails in other states do not have programmes we have for our inmates,” Akil said.

Sunil Sangwan, superintendent of Rohtak jail, said that the “skill and talent acquisition in the state prisons is unique”. “We work on reformation of each inmate from the very day one enters the prison. We have more than 20 skill programmes for them, and the inmates can choose programmes according to their choices,” he said

The visiting officials on Tuesday discussed comprehensive and holistic reforms, and training programmes for men and women inmates, which include music, education, computer education, stitching and tailoring, painting, pottery, carpentry, beauticians’ courses, and hairdressing.

Officials said they also discussed a software — Phoenix — designed by the inmates to digitise data related to them and operations in the jails. The software, built on a prison prisoner partnership (PPP) model, was launched on April 1, 2015. At present, the software is being used by 19 jails in Haryana, 38 jails in Rajasthan, 31 jails in Uttar Pradesh, and 13 jails in Himachal Pradesh.

Jails in Haryana‘s Gurugram and Faridabad have also recently begun an education programme for inmates as part of a new initiative. For four hours a day, classes are conducted to impart literacy to those without any formal education, said officials, adding that about 120 inmates with teaching backgrounds or with a master’s degree, teach their fellow lodgers. The work is completely voluntary in nature, and those teaching are being paid for their work.

According to officials, “jails can also help people transform their lives”, apart from being penitentiaries. The programme helps inmates receive basic educational qualifications which can help them find employment once they are released, they said.