HUMANISING THEPRISON WALLS
AUTHORS –
C.P.Shruthi and Parika Bhatli
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research project would not have been possible without the support of many people. We wish to express our gratitude to Shri Sudhakar, DIG (Administration) for giving us the opportunity to intern at Tihar jail . Mr. RakeshSharma, Assistant Superintendent, Jail no. 2, Tihar jail for valuable guidance and advice by Dr. Aruna Grover (Department of Sociology, University of Delhi) for inspiring us to work onthis project and her willingness to motivate us contributed tremendously to our project. Finally, an honorable mention goes to our families and friends for their understanding andsupport to us in completing this project.
Away from the crowds and chaos of the roads in west Delhi, the ordered calm of the jail could be heard / seen. Pigeons hop in and out through the bars of the main gate on their way to the dovecote. A dog snoozes in the shade. Then of course, our eyes falls upon the clean roads , tall security posts and cheerful guards greeting us on our way inside. South Asia's largest prison, Tihar jail, houses some 12,000 inmates, amongst them are the terrorists, murderers, petty thieves and a smattering of disgraced politicians. To become familiar with prison as one of the society’s institution and the working of this small social unit with its related consequences. It is important to
identify its cultural , economical ,social and behavioral dimension.
This paper is based on a two week study of the workingof the Tihar Jail and the affect that the reform activities have on the life of the prisoners inside andoutside the jail. The research was conducted by interviewing as well by observing 75 inmates in all. The aim of the research paper is to study the sociologyof prison and to understand how the reform activities help the prisoners connect with the society socially , economically and psychologically .
Crime is in existence from the beginning of humanity. Societies around the world may have various definitionsof crime and may consider different actions as crime. However, crime is an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or the interests of the state and that is legally prohibited .These acts may threaten thewellbeing of the society, or injure any of its members.A high proportion of crime cases is committed by young people. Statistics for Delhi by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that cases of juvenile delinquency under the total cognizable crimes committedunder the Indian Penal Code have risen from 581 in 2001to 751 in 2011 — a 29.25% increase in 10 years. Young criminals are not just involved in petty crimes. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for Delhi
suggests that cases of murder committed by people younger than 18 increased by 85% between 2001 and 2011,robbery by 540%, cheating by 211% and theft by 51.46%.The trend is consistent nationwide. Imprisonmentis seen as a method of dealing with people who commit crimes by confining them to a fortified boundary with certain strict rules for all – that is, the prison.
Crime is essentially a social problem, and retribution as the object of improvement has long been discarded byalmost all legal systems of the world. Detention as an objective of imprisonment is also very limited in scope. Reformation of the offender is being regarded asan ultimate aim of the prison sentence. Rehabilitationof the criminals has become one of the most important objectives of the jail authorities.
The need for Reformative activities was felt not only from the point of view of the criminal aspect, but manyinmates manifest mental disorders in prison as a resultof stresses of incarceration. The stress behind the bars tends to be high due to separation from their family members, over crowding, sensory deprivation, exposure to a high-density of hard-core offenders and avariety of uncertainties, fear, and frustrations. The period of trial is of great stress to the individual. Also ,loss of social status, uncertainty of outcome ofthe trial, fear of punishment, staying in an unusual place like police station or jail and the financial upsets harass the individual. If the trial period is
prolonged for months or years which is very common, then the under trial's mental condition becomes worse. The hard life in the prison further aggravates the situation. The under trial's quality of life and subjective well-being are seriously affected by aforesaid conditions in the prison. Psychological factors such as frustration, hostility, and feelings ofhelplessness might be the cause or the consequence of criminal behavior and in some cases, both. Prison reform measures attempt to lead to some reduction in inmate's feelings of hostility, helplessness and other negative emotions.
Vipassana is being practiced in Tihar jail as a prison reform measure with the ultimate goal of prevention of crime and reintegration of prisoners into mainstream society following their discharge from prison. An unfavorable attitude towards law may be responsible forcriminal behavior and needs to be corrected in the course of reforms. On many occasions it is the feeling of alienation from the mainstream life which results from a misfit of individual goals with cultural norms and it might result in criminal activities.
As Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru in his book “Prison Land” has written -
“Any reforms must be based on the idea that a prisoner is not punished but reformed and made into a good citizen. If this objective is once accepted, it would
result in a complete overhauling of the prison system. “
For many sociologists, crime is a direct result of culture. Sellin (1938) has argued on that social differentiation. The division of people into separate groups is a product of the development of modern (as opposed to postmodern) societies and this leads to cultural conflict, which is seen as the main cause of crime. Prison punishment is the most comprehensive social control, regulation, and crime prevention tool. All aspects of the prisoner is considered when one is jailed, which includes physical training, workability, day to day behavior, moral quality, interest and talents. Prison is more disciplinary than school, workshop or military academy that always guarantees a kind of expertise and is all disciplinary with incessant action. Increased number of prisoners have economical as well as evil social effects on government, and not only need high costs to hold them at jail, but it is also a blow to reduction of danger is maximized by 'selective incapacitation' where criminals with high-risk profiles are given longer sentences and those who constitute a low risk are givennon-custodial sentences. We must acknowledge that the prison does not reduce the rate of criminality. The infrastructure of the prison houses could be developed,their numbers could be increased or they may be altered
but the number of criminal cases and criminals remain constant. It is seen that those who abandon prison are more likely to return to prison.
Prison has not been a successful tool to return the criminal to the society or it has not rehabilitated thecriminal’s reputation. So the rehabilitation measures should attempt to not only reduce the no. of prisoners,but in a way that it also has effective individual and social benefits. Under such circumstances, the guilty person is not opposing the community or juridical justice administration and would be made to realize that the society is not his enemy. Besides, the exploitation of the convict would have social benefits because the social – occupational and family situation of the guilty person is less endangered and in fact it is an effort for socialization. Those who enter a maximum-security prison are immediately deprived of various things we value: liberty, goods and services, heterosexually, autonomy, and security (from attacks of other prisoners). Moreover, they share a place with a high proportion of disturbed individuals.
Porporino (1988) found that the prisoners are the most depressed and stressed when they are jailed for the first time. Suicide rate among them is more than the normal population of the society. The findings of our study show that the prison is destructive for people’sspiritual health. At the beginning of punishment the
destructive rate is the highest but when the prisoner adapts with the prison environment, the destruction rate is reduced. The family vulnerability and formationof criminal bonds are consequences of criminal crowds’ organization and outbreak of hazardous diseases in prisons. There are other aspects of prison pathology (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Prison pathology and problems.
Prison patholog
y
Violence
Suicide
Mental Illness
Anxiety and Depression
Vulnerable Families
Formation of criminal bonds
Deprivation from values
AIDS and High Risk Behaviours
Hence, most of the sociological theories treat society as a complex system explicitly or implicitly. Because social system is always multidimensional it is easier to build such a theory than to apply it to practice. Therefore , it is still not fully explored issue, especially when theory meets empirical data. The aim ofthis project is to examine the complexity of a social system on the example of prison (Tihar Jail).
OVERVIEWDelhi Prisons comprises of Nine Central Prisons at Tihar Jail Complex and one District Prison at Rohini Complex. Four of the Central Prisons at Tihar Complex are more than 50 years old. These are presently under
Vulnerable Families
extensive renovation. Though the prison is styled a correctional institution. Its main objective is to Provide the in mates with useful skills, education, andrespect for the law. It aims to improve the inmates' self-esteem and strengthen their desire to improve. To engage, rehabilitate, and reform its inmates.
There is a prison industry within the walls, manned wholly by inmates, which bears the brand Tihar which ispopularly also known as the TJ’s. TJ's is a unique brand with a wide range of products which are manufactured by the prison inmates in Tihar Jail Factory. It has a variety of products such as Bakery products, Handloom & Textile, Apparel, Furniture, Pure Mustard Oil, Recycled hand-made paper products, paintings, designer candles & lamps, Jute bags, herbal products and many more. It is developed with a non-commercial and non-profit objective. Tihar Jail Factoryprovides an opportunity of reformation & rehabilitationto the prison inmates of Tihar Jail by channelizing their energy towards a positive direction. ( http://tihartj.nic.in/tj.asp )
Also the barracks and cells are being provided with flushing system in the toilets. Each barrack/cell has aceiling and exhaust fans for proper ventilation. Every day 2000 visitors come to meet prisoners. Every jail has PCO. If any offender wants to call he can call fromPCO. The call rate is 3Rs/call. The call is recorded inthe control room. . Prisoners wear the white uniform. First time offenders have their separate wards. Also inmates are provided round the clock medical attention
for which there is a 150 bedded hospital in Jail number3 and dispensaries equipped with MI rooms in other jails. Thus, prison complex of New Delhi has excellent management, harmonious environment and a model for the corrections work in Asia.
The current population of jail no.2 constitutes of about 827 inmates as opposed to the sanctioned capacityof 455. The inmates divided into 5 wards namely Ward No. 1 -4 (convicts) and Ward No.5 consists of the High security convicts. Delhi prisons have taken strides in the reformation and rehabilitation of the prisoners andthere are continuous efforts on the part of Prison Administration to channelize the energy of the prison inmates positively. The Jail Administration runs various vocational and technical programmes for skill development, reformation and rehabilitation of inmates,in various units such as carpentry, weaving (handloom and powerloom), tailoring, chemical, paper, food processing, pottery, shoe making & bakery (Tihar BakingSchool).The Tihar Jail Factory is located in Central Jail no.2.It was set up in the year 1961 with the objective to engage prison inmates in productive work. Over period of time, there has been a manifold growth in the scope and activities of the jail factory. Run ona not for profit bass , the Jail Factory is professionally managed by a team of officials headed bya Deputy superintendent and run from the supervisions of manual labour , by the inmates of the prison. The prison inmate working in the factory receives wages at
the rates decided by the Government of NCT of Delhi .Objectives of the jail factory –
For Prisoners/Inmates :
Support family through wages earned
Learning and development of employable vocational skills
Reformation & human dignity
Post release rehabilitation in suitable occupations.
For Jail Administration :
Constructive use of incarcerated period of prisoners
Helps in maintaining discipline and good orderin prison
Every prisoner over here works for atleast 8 hours in aday ( from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm ).In accordance to this various kinds of facilities are being provided to the inmates. They are as follows :
1.Kitchen and Food Serving - Cooking of food in Kitchens of Tihar Prisons is through Piped Natural Gas (PNG) fuel instead of LPG cylinders, which wereused for the last two and a half decades. Kitchens are equipped with many Grinding Machines for
preparation of food in hygienic manner. Exhaust fans are provided for proper ventilation.
2.Food, Clothing and Bedding -
Inmates are provided diet as approved by the Govt. of National Capital Territory of Delhi. Special food is provided on the days of National importanceand Festivals. Convicts are provided with clothing as per norms of Delhi Jails. Poor inmates are provided with free clothing as per the seasonal requirement. All inmates are provided with seasonalbedding.
3.Model Ward for First Time Offenders
A completely renovated Model Ward with various facilities for carrying out reformation/cultural activities has been inaugurated. The ward comprisesboth cells and barracks for lodging of first time offenders. The prisoners are being served hot and fresh food through a food trolley. There is provision of dining space in the ward so that food may be served in community spirit.
4.Sanitation and Water Supply -
Two sewage treatment plants are being setup to recycle the resultant water for horticulture and toilets. Rain Water Harvesting System is setup in the Prison Complex to recharge the level of ground water. Reverse Osmosis system has been installed toensure the supply of pure and safe drinking water in all the prisons.
5.Video-Conferencing System -
Video conferencing facility has been setup between Tihar/Rohini jails with District Courts at Tis Hazari, New Delhi, Karkardooma and Rohini. This facility issued for extension of judicial remands and trials in some cases. This has strengthened prison security and has saved manpower, equipment and transportation.
6.. Visitor Management System –
To manage this large number of visitors, Visitor Management System software is developed which can register the visits of friends and relatives of a prisoner 10 days in advance on centralized telephone numbers. This system saves the time of visitors as well as informs the prisoners in advance about his meeting. Due to introduction of
this system complete transparency has been obtained.
Packed to almost double its capacity , the jail which houses almost 12,000 inmates, provides various reformative opportunities to those it houses. Considered a pioneer in prison reforms , the jail offers correctional measures in the form of vocational training , educational programs through IGNOU & NIOS , computer courses , baking classes at its own baking school, yoga and meditation courses , libraries and HIVprevention and awareness programs but the one correctional arm of jail’s facilities that has been bringing in money by the hoards is the jail factory. Asper the data compiled, majority of the prison population (around 66%) has education below class – X ,thus proving the linkage between educational standard and criminality. Most of the prisoners in this categoryare new comers. The prison administration is taking every possible way to increase the literacy rate of theprisoners. Also the vocational training programmes are seen as the most important component of the correctional activities. The principle objective is that an inmate should be imparted such skills and attitudes as can facilitate his resettlement in societyafter his release. Further the recreational activities are carried out routinely in the jail to channelize theprisoner’s energy towards positive causes.
The study consisted of interviewing the inmates on various aspects of the affects of reform activities on their life inside and outside the jail and their perspective on society. This research is rather observational based as the data for the research has been collected by interviews and observation.
According to our study, out of 75 inmates being interviewed, 59 % inmates are serving sentence for murder, 16 % are convicted for rape and 10 % are involved in other crimes.
( Figure 2 )
All the inmates present in Jail No. 2 are convicted andamong them 66 % are serving life sentence. Most of these convicts are aged between 35-45 and do not meet their families often. Like one of the inmates, Mr. Bal Kishan(name changed), 49,meets his family once in six
months and when asked about one of the major problems they face in jail says “its been more than 12 years here and I have still not managed to fit in into the jail environment and the biggest challenge here is to stay away from family and its hard to stay confined here.”
( Figure 3 )
When these inmates were questioned on what is their perspective on the society as well as their family members , most of them said that they want to connect with the society and promise to live a honest life by continuing the work that they learnt inside the jail once they are outside, indicating that , in most cases , reform activities have had a positive impact ontheir lives. In fact 85% of the inmates were aged
between 25-40 years and among them there were those whohad committed the crime at a very young age and were sentenced for life. Reform activities however is like aray of hope in the lives of those young convicts in many ways . As on the inmate of 33 years old said , “I came here when I was 17 and I was very scared when they employed me in the kitchen section. Initially I didn’t knew how to cook but gradually I learnt all the skills and now I plan to enroll into a hotel managementcourse once I go outside .” The man who knew nothing about various avenues of employment have become an expert with the professional training being imparted invarious trades. Recognizing the importance of self development for inmates thus helps them to discover their own potentials , providing hope for the future. Hence the main aim was to keep these inmates busy with work which they further can take up as a means of livelihood after their release.
The inmates were also asked about their family backgrounds which revealed that 70 % of them came from poor economic backgrounds or had aged parents or very young children who cannot support themselves financially and had to depend upon the income of the jailed member for their livelihood . The factory work provided to inmates as a part of the reform activities thus helps the prisoners earn money for themselves and their families.
Only a year back , the authorities had introduced musictherapy for its inmates as part of an initative to engage , rehabilitate and reform them. As part of thiseffort , some music training sessions and concerts wereorganized by the jail authorities. And now , the next step is “ Tihar Idol “ , the auditions for which started in April this year. Two months later , the jailauthorities have shortlisted close to 400 inmates from seven out of 10 jails within the complex for the competition.
The initiatives taken for reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners have strengthened the security of environment as we have seen earlier. But life in Tihar , the largest prison in Asia could be good for some inmates as the say that the might miss itafter their release. Programs like yoga , meditation , music , education and art have now become a part of inmates’ daily life. “This has changed us thoroughly , we feel good here , “ said some of the inmates we interviewed. Constant efforts of Government authorities, several NGOs and other individuals have made the transformation possible . They work relentlessly to ensure that a prisoner who walks out after his confinement has a better purpose in life and stays backaway from anti social activities.
On the other hand , however around 19% of the inmates said that they do not want to connect with the society and plan to shift their residence after they go outside
. Mr. Ashok Kumar, 40, convicted for murder, has two daughters says “ People just want to stay away from those who have been to jail, they don’t really care to understand what we think or what our circumstances are not just that but even my daughters face a lot of problems in school.” While there are others who have already moved from their earlier places of residence ever since they came to jail. As according to few inmates society matters for those who have power and also people outside the jail wouldn’t understand ever what they have been through. There are some (nearly 30%) who says that they are innocent and have been convicted wrongly. They are of the view that reform activities have had no effect on their lives Infact thejail environment had made them worse as they believe that jail is simply a jail not a rehabilitation center.
The biggest challenge faced by the inmates (approx 51 %) was that they were away from their families. They areof the view that whatever crime they did ,no matter what, they have a family to feed .For others (20 % ) confinement and adjusting within the jail environment were the toughest challenges .Surprisingly there are 15% inmates who say that they have no issues inside the jail. For most of the inmates the biggest lesson was that they have learnt inside the jail is to be patient and about 4 % have come to believe in God.
We however observed that no matter what the society thinks out of 75 inmates 32 % of them do regret of
what they did but 10% are still the same and are proudof what they did .When we interviewed one of the rape convicts Mohammad Iram (Name Changed), 29, who has been in jail for 12 years and works in the carpentary section says“ I am what I am and will be fighting against laws as according to me I did nothing wrong .” His view of society is that “ I don’t care what other people think about me or my family. The Law is worst”. 11 % of the inmates have an issue with law , according to them they are not implemented in a right way .
However , the criminal enters the prison when he/she has committed a criminal act, but when he is freed fromprison he has known many crimes, he also knows the lawful behavior against crime. Then, if he /she is prone to commit crime again he/she can find some ways to escape legal punishment, In such conditions it is not only that the prisoner has not been rehabilitated but also that he/she has been motivated to commit crimehe is imprisoned. The enforcement of compulsory and harsh obligations makes the prisoner destructive and ungovernable; there is a possibility of making him angry and abusive. In these conditions the prisoner does not assume himself as a criminal, but he accuses the system.
Although all training facilities can be accommodated in the prison, it is a place for dysfunction and anti-social learning, perhaps it would train the prisoner inmore anti –social behaviors and the criminals are more
empowered in the prison for their dysfunction behaviors, they can become more specialized in their criminal behaviors .Prisoners’ multiplicity and confluence provokes the authorities to schedule for more security, more intensive health and nourishment program. But it is found that the prison houses neitherdesire nor has enough motivation to correct the prisoner’s behaviors. One of the convicts, Ramesh, 40, says “ People who have been convicted wrongly become friends with other high risk criminals and plan to takerevenge once they are out and also some of them bully the young chaps who come”. The correction space of theprisons evoke the prisoners to train each other, they pass their experiences of criminal act to each other thus the amateurs turn into professional criminals. Thecrowded prisons, which are not classified, are the locations of criminals’ unity for various reasons. An individual who has committed a crime and is imprisoned sometimes becomes a member of a coherent group when he/she comes out of prison and is free.
Our study thus showed the series of thought experimentsthat look at the grey area of human behavior and reaction in a given situation. Inmates gave an interesting perspective to the general notion society has about right and wrong. Society’s take on convicts is that of apathy. They are usually considered the lowest rung of society or rather the dirt swept under
the carpet. Left to repent for their actions in isolation, it isn’t wrong to judge people based on their actions but its wrong to assume that they can’t change.
Though sociologists have been interested in the study of prisons for a long time, it was only some three decades ago that the study of such organizations received its first real start. In the first place, sociologists tend to concentrate their analyses on the informal rather than the formal aspects of the social structure of prisons. There is strong emphasis on the unwritten rules of conduct that exist among prisoners and on the unofficial social system of captives. By analyzing the informal aspects of the social structure of prisons, prison sociologists contribute in a significant way to a general tradition in the sociologyof organizations. Secondly, sociologists tend to concentrate on similarities between the prisoners rather than on differences between them. In the third place, sociologists tend to concentrate on the stable aspects of the social structure of prisons rather than on its non-stable features. In the fourth place, sociologists tend to concentrate on the internal structure of prisons rather than on the relationship between the prison and its environment. The way of limiting the field of enquiry probably partly stems from the observation that life in a prison is to an unusual degree separated from life outside-such a separation is, in fact, part of the very purpose of
imprisonment. Fifthly, and lastly, sociologists to a very considerable degree concentrate on the effects of social roles on life in prisons rather than on the effects of personality.
By demonstrating the existence of similar types of subjection outside prison walls, this transversal approach does away with the stigmatization, the reduction of people to the status of criminal and the alterity produced by criminalization. It is the strength, the solidity and the simultaneity of the various dimensions of this transversal detour and conversely, its ability to test the basic tenets of criminal justice that will enable us to assess the “utility” of the qualitative sociology of prisons.
Thus, prison life both fascinates and repels. As with many aspects of punishment it attracts the interest of both academics and the general public. In this short and accessible account the principal issues of prison life are presented that traces the emergence of focusedacademic study of the way people live and think in prison.
REFRENCES
1. http://tihartj.nic.in/
2. Academia.edu (https://www.academia.edu/1480269/Jail_Visit_Report )
3. https://scholar.google.co.in/
4. http://www.vridhamma.org/Research-on-inmates-of- Tihar-Jail-Delhi
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