Freeing the mind, from behind bars
KOCHI: Once consumed by guilt, Rani is now on the path of reform. In 2013, she was convicted for the brutal murder of her four-year-old daughter, who she viewed as an obstacle to a future with her lover. Her life sentence left her within the cold, dark walls of a prison cell, but she found a glimmer of hope in the shadows. In 2020, Rani enrolled for a certificate course in food and nutrition through the Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou), finding solace in an otherwise bleak existence.
Rani’s journey is not an isolated one. Interestingly, 184 murder convicts signed up for educational courses between 2020 to 2024 in the state.
According to information obtained by TNIE through a right to information (RTI) application with the prisons and correctional services department, 135 inmates across the state are currently pursuing various educational courses through both regular and distance-learning modes.
These range from certificate courses in food and nutrition, Arabic, and functional English to higher academic pursuits such as LLB, postgraduate degrees in English and commerce, and bachelor’s programmes in political science.
An inmate is even pursuing a PG diploma in criminal justice. Besides, two murder convicts are doing their LLB with the permission of the Kerala High Court. The numbers are expected to rise as the registration figures for the current academic year are still being updated in several jails.
The RTI information reveals that in 2023 alone, 234 inmates enrolled for educational programmes, showing a growing trend in using education as a tool for rehabilitation.
According to Sai Pooja, a criminal lawyer with Kerala High Court, one of the main objectives of the Kerala Prisons Act, 2014, is the correction, reformation, welfare and rehabilitation of prisoners.
“The fact that these prisoners are diverting their energies for learning itself is a sign that they are getting reformed. They offers them hope, despite their dark past and lack of freedom in prisons. Interactions with fellow prisoners who have taken to learning seem to have inspired many. I have also noticed that in our society, many become habitual criminals due to poor economic conditions. Learning and obtaining degrees would mean that once they come out of prison, their likelihood of gaining employment is far better than their situation before they got into prison,” she said.
“Through learning, they are telling society that they deserve a second chance. It is a loud message to which the rest of us can’t shut our ears,” Sai Pooja added.
In the latest example of this evolving system, two terror case convicts are also pursuing education. Ameer Ali, who is lodged in Viyyur high-security prison and is an accused in a case being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was informed by the superintendent that inmates who have passed 10th grade have the opportunity to enrol for Ignou courses.
He obtained permission from the NIA special court, Ernakulam, to join the certificate programme in functional English and Arabic. Four other convicts — Ashraf K, Muhammed Shefeek K, Shihas MH, and Ansar K — were also granted admission to Ignou’s certificate programmes in functional English and food and nutrition, after being cleared by the special court in July.
As per the data, five UAPA convicts joined for distance education courses from Viyyur central prison between 2022 and 2024, while 24 convicts involved in UAPA cases pursued distance courses from Viyyur high-security prison between 2022 and 2024. Two UAPA convicts, now on bail, are currently enrolled for distance courses. At the Kannur women’s prison, a murder convict and a UAPA convict have been pursuing courses from 2022.
A top officer at the Viyyur high-security prison told TNIE that convicts joining educational courses is a signal of their reformation in jail. The opportunity to pursue studies, even in the bleakest of circumstances, offers inmates a second chance — a path to rebuild lives.
“We are encouraging convicts to pursue educational courses. However, there is a growing trend of prisoners involved in Maoist and NIA cases coming forward for courses. This could impact security arrangements, as they may use it as an opportunity to mingle with others. We must be more cautious when arranging classes for them,” he added.
Dr Sophy K J, associate professor and director of the Centre for Labour Law Research and Advocacy, National Law University, Delhi, said the idea of ‘restorative justice’ has come a long. “It is not only by creating spaces of dialogue and understanding but also equipping those behind bars with the analytical strength to assess one’s actions for society and against society,” she said
While it started in Europe in the 1840s, in India, prison education became popular after Ignou started its prison study centres in the 2010s. “There is an argument that learning is becoming a tool for educational remission by convicts, but its larger restorative justice premises shouldn’t be ignored. The educational qualifications that they acquire during their imprisonment can help them to look at their life after prison from a reformatory lens and engage in productive employment or business,” said Sophy.