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SUCCESS STORIES IN CORRECTIONS: COMMUNITRY ENGAGEMENT, WELFARE & USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Dibyendu Sarkar, India

An art work by an inmate

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Total Population Prison Population Rate of incarceration

11.3 billion 0.38 million 0.03 %

INDIAN PRISONS: A SNAPSHOT

Total Prisons Prisoner capacity Percentage of overcrowding

1276 0.277 million 35.7 %

Rate of imprisonment

Annual growth rate in prison population

Male: Female ratio in prison population

Incarcerated as percentage of arrested

30 per 100,000 3.34% 96:4 3.6 %

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31.9

66.6

1.2

0.2

percentage

ConvictsUnder-trialsDetenuesOthers

DISTRIBUTION OF PRISON POLULATION

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Total Population CH Population Rate of incarceration

80 million 20,230 0.025%

CORRECTIONAL HOMES IN WEST BENGAL: A SNAPSHOT

Total Correctional Homes

CH capacity Percentage of overcrowding

54 20,472 Nil

Foreign nationals in inmate population

Under-trial inmates as percentage of total inmates

Male: Female ratio in CH population

12% (2407 in 20,230) 70 % 93:7

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SIX TYPES OF CORRECTIONAL HOMES:

◦ Central CH (Capacity: 11457)◦ District CH (Capacity: 5803)◦ Special CH (Capacity: 841)◦ Sub CH (Capacity: 1901)◦ Women CH (Capacity: 400)◦ Open Air CH (Capacity: 70)

DISTRIBUTION OF CORRECTIONAL HOMES IN WEST BENGAL

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CUSTODIAL FUNCTIONS◦ Safe keep◦ Segregation

CORRECTIONAL FUNCTIONS◦ Labour assignment◦ Vocational training◦ Culture therapy

WELFARE FUNCTIONS◦ Medicare◦ Educational support◦ Miscellaneous welfare activities

KEY FUNCTIONS AS ENVISAGED IN WEST BENGAL CORRECTIONAL

SERVICES ACT

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Prisoners’ Welfare Fund Guidelines for treatment of inmates Notification on Sports’ Club Establishing self-help groups for running

economic activities in correctional homes Cultural activities by the inmates Involving Non-Government Organizations Inmates’ telephony

SOME RECENT CORRECTIONAL INITIATIVES

Art Workshop Sports for children Sending children to mainstream schools

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Introduced through publication of a set of Rules

NGO in Fund Management Committees Contribution open for private sector/

corporate bodies/I-NGOs/ NGOs and National and State Governments

Use envisaged for educational, medicare, sports, cultural, vocational activities involving inmates and back home support to families

COMMUNITY INTERFACE : PRISONERS’ WELFARE FUND

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NGO forum having participation of NGOs

Vocational training/ physical activities/ meditational sessions run by NGOs in different Correctional Homes

Annual NGO dialogue to explore avenues of collaboration and sort out issues

NGO support to provide educational facilities to inmates’ children back home

NGO support to provide educational facilities to children accompanying inmates

COMMUNITY INTERFACE: NGO FORUM

Computer aided literacy programme in the correctional

homes

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Involving social actors from different cultural fields to develop inmates’ potentials◦ Art Workshop◦ Dance recital◦ Dance drama◦ Drama◦ Recitation Workshop

Cultural performances beyond the four walls of the correctional homes

COMMUNITY INTERFACE: CULTURE THERAPY

A scene from ‘Valmiki Pratibha’ –a dance drama performed by the inmates

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Experimentally launched in one Central Correctional Home

Opens up opportunity to call against pre-determined numbers programmed against inmates

Token expenses Monitoring of calls Private sector participation

COMMUNITY INTERFACE AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY: INMATE TELEPHONY

Telephone Booths at Dum Dum Central Correctional Home

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Self-help Groups for running economic activities

Going beyond wage dominance for income earning opportunities

Canteen for inmates run by the Groups

Income distributed amongst the group members

WELFARE OF INMATES: SHGs

Canteen managed by SHG formed by the inmates