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From 'Jails to jobs': Shimla plays host to meet on prisoners' reforms

Shimla: Till now, most conferences and national seminars hosted in the states or national capitals used to deliberate critical issues, mainly involving citizens and communities, happen to be an active part of the society in towns and villages.

On Wednesday, as Shimla settled down to a two-day national-level conference, including top-ranking police officers, both retired and serving from 20 Indian states, apart from researchers, academicians and social action groups, there was a significant shift in the focus of its agenda.

"From jails to jobs" call it Positive Engagement of Inmates in the Prisons, provided a wider forum to the participates to think on the ways as to how best prisoners, including life-term convicts of cases like murder, rape, acid attacks and NDPS be engaged in gainful employment, within and outside jails? Governor Bandaru Dattatraya inaugurated the conference, hosted by state government's Department of Prison and Correctional Services in collaboration with Bureau of Police Search and Development.

Himachal Pradesh, which has become a pioneering states in introducing programme like "Har Hath ko Kaam" (job for each prisoner ) has more than 150 prisoners engaged in productive jobs to make bakery products—which have highest demand in the town, branded Himachali shawls, woolen socks, jackets, gloves caps , dress wares, furniture for offices, hotels and schools and waste newspaper envelopes (replacement to banned polythene bags.

Four lifetime convicts run Shimla's ionic book café, work in hotels, business establishments, saloons and teaching in coaching centres outside the prisons. Every morning, these prisoners, including four of them women –all convicts walk free from jails, work at different places in the towns and return to the jail with daily earnings.

There is not even a single case of any prisoners jumping the 'freedom' but many of them earn Rs 7500 to Rs 10,000 pm month. Chances of going back to the life of crime are also reduced.

"This is the way, we tried to engage them in jobs after upgrading their skills, getting them trained at different places and ensuring employments with the help of NGOs, hotels and restaurants owners, promoters of educational institutions, factories and those running parlours (for women) or trailing shops. Forty-six per cent of these being sole bread earners are now feeding their families, have sent children to schools and few got sons and daughters married," said Somesh Goyal, DG (prisoners and correctional services)—a man behind the movement.

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