A small new beginning

Prison Department in Nagaland embarks on innovative reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners

Morung Express News
Kohima | November 18  

On a Friday afternoon, inmates at the Kohima District Jail are busy making laundry detergent powders and aloo puris. In one room, a section of the inmates, donned with masks and gloves are seen mixing ingredients to make the detergent powder while in the kitchen, the rest of the inmates are busy kneading dough and cooking aloo sabzi (potato curry).  It is indeed a heartening sight.

 “This is small beginning,” said Rupin Sharma, IPS, Director General of Prisons under whose initiative the skill developments are taking place. When Sharma was appointed the DG (Prisons) last month in September, he met the inmates of the Kohima District Jail and asked them what they do in jail. The answer was ‘Nothing’.  

After engaging in personal interactions with the inmates and going through their backgrounds, Sharma found out that many of the inmates were bread-earners in their families.  

Believing that prisons needs to reform and rehabilitate the inmates, and with a vision to make positive changes through small steps, Sharma introduced the skill development trainings in the Prison Department to train the prisoners on short term skills at the District jail such as making detergent powders and learning basic cooking skills.  

The first production of the detergent powder was sold to some of the senior government officials. Priced at Rs. 90 (per 900gms), the productions will soon be available at the District jail where a counter will be opened for the public to come and purchase the products. The profits will go to the savings of each of the inmates. For this, bank accounts of all the inmates will also be opened very soon. “The whole idea is to let them save some money and also offer public service; the profits will be put in their accounts. So when they go out of jail, they will have something to sustain themselves,” said Sharma.  

The aloo sabzi and puri will be sold for Rs 20-25 in police departments. Currently it is being sold at the Prisons canteen where employees have their lunch during breaks.  

With only a small amount of fund kept aside for such projects, the idea for laundry detergent powder and aloo puri came up since it does not need much investments and the task is also easier to complete. This will in turn help inmates to continue the economic activity after being released from prison. The Prison Department also welcomes the public in contributing to the reformation of the inmates by providing gloves, masks and strainers. Similar training will also begin in Dimapur Jail by next week, Sharma revealed.  

With prisons in the country gradually evolving into centres of correction, reformation and rehabilitation, Sharma said activities such as psychological counseling for the inmates, imparting basic education may soon be introduced in Nagaland prisons. Talks are under way to appeal educational institutions to provide old textbooks, he added.  

There are around 110 inmates in the Kohima District Jail. When they have money, their families can also withdraw from their accounts, Sharma asserted. “It is nothing big but I hope it can bring some positive changes.”