{"id":10676,"date":"2011-02-26T18:31:12","date_gmt":"2011-02-26T18:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/drishtikone\/2011\/02\/tihar-jail-special-experiments-humanising-inmates\/"},"modified":"2011-02-26T18:31:12","modified_gmt":"2011-02-26T18:31:12","slug":"tihar-jail-special-experiments-humanising-inmates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/drishtikone\/2011\/02\/tihar-jail-special-experiments-humanising-inmates\/","title":{"rendered":"Tihar Jail Special: Experiments in Humanising the Inmates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"tihar-jail1.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jails have had their own importance in every society.\u00a0 In India, where jails provided the launch of many a stalwarts of the Indian freedom movement \u2013 from Bhagat Singh to Gandhi to Nehru to Savarkar \u2013 jails have been symbolic at times of the good and the bad.<\/p>\n

Contrary to what most think of jails, it was Kiran Bedi, the vivacious and strong lady police officer to have transformed India\u2019s largest jail \u2013 the Tihar Jail of Delhi.\u00a0 Actually the entire complex is the largest in South Asia.<\/p>\n

She brought humanizing changes \u2013 Walk arounds, enlisting rehab organizations to help with the drug problems (instead of indicting the inmates), festivals were observed (specially Raksha Bandhan), Group singing, cultural events, theater productions, Sports events, Vipassana Meditation were introduced.\u00a0 The Tihar even had its own factory where the inmates produced branded snacks (TJ Specials)<\/strong>.\u00a0 Other skills were taught and the products and services used for revenue generation \u2013 such as shoe making, manure production, screen printing, tailoring, book binding, envelope making.<\/p>\n

Probably, one of the greatest achievement of such reforms was that one inmate made it to the highest administrative services<\/a> echelons in India \u2013 the Indian Administrative Services (IAS).\u00a0 Ashok Rai was charged under rape case, where he was alleged to have raped his student (21 yrs).\u00a0 The Delhi High Court Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Aruna Suresh set him free as he worked hard in jail to redeem himself, with the following judgment:<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u201cRai has redeemed himself in jail is evident from the fact that he took his civil service examinations and qualified for being appointed to the Indian Administrative Service. We are of the opinion that the sentence already suffered by him would meet the ends of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Now, Tihar Jail has made another first amongst jails around the world.\u00a0 It has achieved 100% Job Placements<\/a>!\u00a0 43 inmates appeared for job interviews.\u00a0 These people have 6-12 months left for their sentences and the jail is trying to rehabilitate them after their jail period so they can resume a normal life.<\/p>\n

The packages would vary between Rs. 10-25000 per month.\u00a0 The jobs are from Research Associate for a Chartered Accountancy firm to Executive Manager with Packing and Moving firm, to Data Entry operator, who was especially happier since he got a chance to work in Mumbai, his home town!<\/p>\n

They have one request.\u00a0 That their background in jail be kept a secret at their work.<\/p>\n

If the society has the ability to forgive and rehabilitate those who lost their way or made a mistake in that unusual moment of indiscretion, or who have learnt a lesson \u2013 then that society has a chance to redeeem itself.\u00a0 From Ashok Rai to the Data Entry operator, its the society that is being redeemed.<\/p>\n

On another note, it is interesting that inmates of Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu have started a music band<\/a>. Called, Inmates Pipe Band<\/b> \u2013 it was inaugurated by B.R. Sharma, principal secretary of the home ministry. As a special gesture, the band members will be allowed to go out to perform. Said the jail superintendent:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe basic idea behind the creation of this band was to train inmates in a vocation as a rehabilitation measure and to create an atmosphere of inmate-civil society interaction by sending this band to civil functions outside the prison walls in future,\u201d Rajni Shegal, jail superintendent, said at the inaugural function.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Its always important to help people redeem themselves. In their redemption is the redemption of the entire society!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jails have had their own importance in every society.\u00a0 In India, where jails provided the launch of many a stalwarts of the Indian freedom movement – from Bhagat Singh to Gandhi to Nehru to Savarka<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1517,"featured_media":12574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,37],"tags":[1951,3462],"class_list":["post-10676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india","category-issues","tag-kiran_bedi","tag-tihar_jail"],"yoast_head":"\nTihar Jail Special: Experiments in Humanising the Inmates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jails have had their own importance in every society.\u00a0 In India, where jails provided the launch of many a stalwarts of the Indian freedom movement - from Bhagat Singh to Gandhi to Nehru to Savarka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/drishtikone\/2011\/02\/tihar-jail-special-experiments-humanising-inmates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tihar Jail Special: Experiments in Humanising the Inmates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jails have had their own importance in every society.\u00a0 In India, where jails provided the launch of many a stalwarts of the Indian freedom movement - 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