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Updated: Sep 19, 2019 11:39 IST

With no job opportunities for prisoners, the Himachal Pradesh prison department has proposed closing down the state’s first open air jail in Bilaspur.

Set up in 1960 barely 5 km from the town, this is the only jail in the state where some convicts with a good track record are allowed to work outside the prison to earn a livelihood. The jail has 163 prisoners of which 80 stay in the open air jail.

“Finding jobs for prisoners is the biggest challenge but they have to kept busy. Only 12 of the inmates are employed outside the jail at present,” says Somesh Goyal, the state DGP, prison and correctional services, who is credited with carrying out jail reforms and introducing programmes for the livelihood of prisoners.

Speaking at a conference on ‘Positive engagement of inmates’ here on Wednesday, Goyal urged the government to enroll prisoners who complete their sentence, in the employment exchange so that they can get jobs on their release. “There have been instances where prisoners return to the barracks after release as they complain that society does not accept them and give them jobs,” he says, adding that “there is no market-oriented research in Himachal Pradesh for imparting vocational training to prisoners”.

JAIL NEAR INDUSTRIAL AREA PROPOSED

There have been negligible efforts from the government to provide jobs to prisoners who undergo vocational training in jail. “I have urged the government to set up jails near industrial areas for more job opportunities,” said Goyal, citing the example of 17 open category inmates of Nahan Model Jail who work at a shoe factory in Sirmour district.

He called for a post-release programme to rehabilitate jail inmates. “Prisoners are the most marginalised section. Modernisation grants for prisons have been discontinued since 2009-10,” he said, highlighting the government apathy.

The state prison department runs six stores for selling products, including hosiery and handloom items, confectionery and bakery goods made in the jails.

The department had urged the government to engage the services of prisoners in stitching for bulk orders such as school uniforms of government schools. It also suggested that prisoners could run a canteen in government hospitals but both the requests were turned down without ascribing any reason.

A total of 2,450 prisoners are lodged in 14 jails in the state, including two model central jails at Kaithu and Nahan, two district jails at Chamba and Dharamshala, an open air jail at Bilaspur, a Borstal jail in Mandi and eight sub-jails at Mandi, Kullu, Bilaspur, Solan, Kaithu (Shimla), Una, Nurpur and Hamirpur. Prisoners who don’t jump parole or who maintain a good conduct are lodged in the open air jail.

GOVERNOR FOR REFORMS

Governor Bandaru Dattatreya agreed that there is a need for more jail reforms.

Inaugurating the two-day conference on positive engagement of prisoners, he said they were the responsibility of the state and society. He urged members of civil society to participate in the process of their rehabilitation. “Life in prison may be difficult but for the family, it becomes a misery because they are deprived of the support of the breadwinner,” he said.

“All prisons in the country are contributing to skill development of the prisoners and providing opportunities to them to earn a livelihood while remaining inside the jail. A turnover of Rs 200 crore in prison factories in 2016 is no mean feat,” Dattatreya said.

Himachal Pradesh Women’s Commission chairperson Daisy Thakur called for setting up open jails to ensure better rehabilitation.

Additional chief secretary, home, Manoj Kumar said most problems of prisoners could be addressed with infrastructure development.