SANGAREDDY: It is said that the state’s job is to not just punish and imprison criminals, but to also ensure that they can re-enter the society as productive human beings. Sangareddy Jail authorities, perhaps wanting to adhere to this philosophy, have taken several measures to make sure that inmates gain valuable skills and experiences while serving their sentences. However, the icing on the cake is that many of these programmes have generated profits, thereby helping the jail become financially self-reliant.
Speaking to media on Wednesday, district jail superintendent Santhosh Kumar Ray said that jail authorities were working on bringing a change in the inmates so that they could lead respectable lives after being released into society. He said that the jail was generating income from many streams such as running nurseries and manufacturing furniture.
He announced that, after operating costs and other expenses, the jail generated an income of almost `20 lakh. The authorities’ confidence has been bolstered due to the success of these programmes. Ray said that Jail DG Vinay Kumar Singh had sanctioned even more funds so that many such programmes could be initiated. He announced that a petrol pump will be inaugurated in the coming weeks at Kashipur village in Kandi mandal.
The administration of the pump will be entrusted entirely to the inmates. Another petrol pump is also planned and three acres of land behind the old jail(also known as museum jail) has been bought for this purpose. Ray said that they were awaiting for the State government to sanction the project, after which the work would begin soon. The authorities are also planning a restaurant is also planned which will again be maintained by the inmates.
Since 2016 Sangareddy Jail has had 2,818 prisoners and many illiterate inmates among them have been given the opportunity to be taught how to read and write. 191 inmates have also been trained in computers. They have also been counselled, which seems to have been working well since, according to authorities, 99% of the inmates do not return to the jail.
Two birds one stone
Initiatives taken by the jail authorities such as furniture making and managing nurseries by inmates, has not just given the inmates a fresh start, but also generated a healthy profit for the jail itself.