Jail visit report

LOK NAYAK JAYAPRAKASH NARAYAN NATIONAL
INSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGY AND FORENSIC SCIENCE
Government of India (Ministry of Home Affairs)
Jail visit Report
Submitted By: Shankey Verma
M.A. (Criminology) 1st Semester

CONTENTS
1. Acknowledgement
2. Purpose of visit
3. Introduction
4. Organizational setup of prison
5. Physical Observation
6. Infrastructure Setup
7. Case Study - 1
8. Case Study - 2
9. Case Study – 3
10. Personal Observation
11. Critical Analysis
12. Suggestions

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I, Shankey Verma student of M.A. Criminology, would like to
pay my sincere gratitude towards our course director Prof. (Dr.)B.N.
Chattoraj, for arranging our visit to Rohini Jail for the purpose of
understanding the Jail organization and its functioning.
I am also thankful to Mr. Harish Tyagi, the Superintendent
Rohini Jail, Delhi to make us understand the things in a much practical
way.
Shankey Verma

PURPOSE OF THE VISIT
The main objectives given by our course director was taken into
consideration before going to the field work in the above mentioned
institution as followed:
1. To study the role of Rohini District Jail in treatment of prisoners in
the framework of rehabilitative and reformative activities given to
the prisoners.
2. To study the infrastructure provided by the jail authorities to the
prisoners.
3. To study the vision and mission of Rohini District Jail.
4. To study the behavior of the inmates of the jail.
5. To study the services and opportunities provided to the inmates by
the jail authorities.
6. To study the security system of the jail premises.
7. The responsibilities of the jail authorities towards the prisoners.

INTRODUCTION
The prisons now a days are styled as a correctional
institution rather than as an institution for punishment. This is because
with the evolution of the society and the increasing importance of human
rights we have moved into an era of reformation from the era of
retribution. The main objective of prison is to convert the inmates into
ordinary members of the society by providing them with useful skills,
education and respect for the law.
It aims to improve the inmates’ self esteem and strengthen their desire
to improve. To engage, rehabilitate and reform its inmates, the current
prison system in India uses music therapy which involves music training
sessions and concerts. Many of the inmates continue their higher
education through distance learning programmes. Thus the prison is
acting as an adult school.
What is the vision of the prison department?
To provide safe and secure detention of the prisoners committed to the
prison custody.
To provide for the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners.
To provide for Basic Minimum facilities to prisoners to maintain human
dignity.
What is the mission of the prison department?
To provide minimum standard of living/treatment to the prisoners
remanded to judicial custody and at the same time to reform /rehabilitate
them by involving them in various vocational, spiritual, educational
activities so that they become useful citizen of the country after their
release.

Organizational set up of Prison
Director General of Prison
↓
Inspector General of Prison
↓
Addl. Inspector General of Prison
↓
Deupty Inspector General of Prison
↓
Superintendent of Prison
↓
Deupty Superintendent of Prison
↓
Assistant Superintendent of Prison
↓
Head Warden
↓
Warden
The Director General of Prisons, Delhi is the Head of the Prison
Department and is assisted by Addl.I.G.(P) and Deputy Inspector
General of Prisons. A Jail Superintendent heads each jails and Deputy
Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Head Warders and
Warders assist him.
The custodial duties of the prisoners are performed by the Jail Staff
where as the external security; Patrolling, search etc. are taken care by
Tamil Nadu Special Police, ITBP and Central Reserve Police Force.
A Battalion of Delhi Armed Police handles the escorting of the prisoners
to the courts/hospitals etc.
A Resident Medical Officer heads the Medical Administration of all Jails.
Senior Medical Officers head the Medical administration of each jail
assisted by Medical Officers and other Para-medical staff.

Working hours for mulakat with Prisoners
There was a fix time for visitors to meet the prisoners. There were total
48 mulakat chambers and there was a mulakat diary at the entrance
gate according to the alphabetical order. The preference is being given
to the blood relatives of the prisoner to meet them. There was a fix time
duration and hours for the visitors to meet the prisoners. Only in this time
limit visitors can meet with the prisoners.
Visitors Time
Relatives and Friends 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Advocate/Counsels & Embassy
3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
officials
There is no public meeting on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Lodging of Prisoners in Rohini District Jail
There were 6 wards in Rohini district Jail. There was a different jail for
different types of prisoners. The lodging of prisoners in Rohini District
Jail is given below:-
Ward No. Population of Prisoners Category
Ward No. 1 42 Undertrial
Ward No. 3 594 New Comers
Ward No. 4 288 Convicted
Ward No. 5 11 High Risk
Total Population of Rohini Jail as on 14-10-2014
Although the total capacity of the Rohini District Jail is 1095 but there
were 2089 prisoners lodged in the jail.
Various forms of labours which were paid there are:

Lungar, Mulaqat, Carpenter, Godown, Legal, Education, Meditation,
Kheti, Computer, Book binder, Munshi, Atta chakki, Electrician, Music,
Stitching, Sewdar, Envelope making, Plumbar, FM DJR, Hospital, Smart
card, Wet canteen, PWD, Mali, Barber, etc.
A total of 248 convicts are allotted the work above mentioned and they
are paid a total of around forty seven thousand rupees for a single
month.
Every prisoner should labour 8 hour in a day from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Under trial prisoners can’t work in prison. But under trial prisoners can
do work if they want to do work.
Salary Chart Of The Prisoners
Total No. Category No. of
working
days
Rate Amount
40 Skilled Labour 1002 99 99198.00/-
47 Semi-skilled
Labour
1191 81 96471.00/-
161 Unskilled
Labour
3959 70 277130.00/-
248 Convicts 6152 TOTAL 472799.00/-

PHYSICAL OBSERVATION
Rohini Jail was inaugurated on 14 December 2004 with the aim to
reduce the Tihar Jail’s burden and population. This well-lit and ventilated
jail provides a peaceful atmosphere for the prisoners, which helps in
their better reformation. This three-storied building is built on modern
design. The jail comprises of total of 6 wards. There is no women
prisoner cell inside the Rohini District Jail.
Administrational Set-up
All the administrative works inside the Rohini Jail are carried out in
accordance with the provisions of the Delhi Jail Manual which was
published in 1988 and Delhi Prison Act,2000. The administration inside
the Rohini District Jail was carried out by six different officers:
1. Undertrail Office: It managed the documents of the undertrial
prisoners like nominal roll, High Court production, miscellaneous
reports surrender date, parole jump etc.
2. Convict Office: It managed the documents of the convicted prisoners
like nominal roll, High Court production, miscellaneous reports,
surrender date, parole jump etc.
3. Line Office: It managed the grievances and problems of the prison.
4. Welfare Office: This department took the welfare measure of the
prison and prisoners like donation of clothes, books, packed eatables,
stationary etc.
5. TIP Room: The TIP i.e. Test Identification Parade room is used by
the jail authorities for the identification of any accused either by the
victim or some eye-witness. In the process of identification the one
who identifies the accused and the prisoners are separated by a
special type of glass. The prisoners cannot see the identifier but the
identifier is able to see the prisoners.

6. Account office: All the accounts related matters of the prisoners as
well as the prison authorities are managed by this office.
Security
Security of Rohini Jail is maintained by CRPF, Delhi Jail Personnel and
Tamil Nadu Special Police. The outer gates is looked after by CRPF.
Rohini Jail is having modern security gadgets for detecting prohibited
articles possessed by prisoners/ visitors at all access points. All the
watch towers are equipped with flood lights and the open areas are
covered with High Mast flood lights for illumination and security during
night hours. The various instruments used for security are magnetic
pole, hand held metal detector, door frame metal detector, ramp scan
etc. For security reasons the officials and the non-officials both have to
face the security check up before entering the jail. Even the use of jeans,
sport shoes, net sweater is prohibited.

Different activities in Rohini District jail
Recreational Activities
The prisoner's participation in games and sports activities within the
prisons took a big jump with the organization of inter-ward and inter-jail
competitions twice a year for the last over five years. In all the prisons,
sports like volleyball, cricket, basketball, kho-kho, kabbaddi, chess,
carom etc. are organized during. Every year competitions in music,
dance, sher-o-shairi, quawali, painting, quiz etc. are organised for
inmates. Eminent personalities from the field of sports and culture are
invited on these occasions to encourage the prisoners to take part in the
sports and cultural events, to foster their physical, mental and cultural
development and inculcate discipline.
Educational Activities
Both adult and formal education arrangements have been made for
prisoners. Educational activities are looked after with the help of
Government resources as well as NGO's participation. Study Centres of
the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi and
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Delhi are established at
Rohini District Prison. Computer training centres are also working in the
Prisons for imparting computer education to the prisoners. The most
important aspect of the education system in Rohini District Jail is that
educated prisoners voluntarily teach less educated prisoners. An
illiterate person landing in Rohini District Jail can look forward to being
literate if his stay is more than a week. Library with the support of Non-
Governmental Organisations has been created in each jail.
Expenditure on fees for IGNOU / NIOS courses is borne by the
Government. Study material like note-books, pens etc. is also being
provided free of cost to inmate students.
Literate inmates whose conduct is good help the Prison administration in
imparting education to other inmates. The imparting of education both
formal and informal is an important component of prisoner daily routine.

Rehabilitation
The study of the problems faced by the prisoners after release and the
reasons for committing crime guided Rohini Jail Administration to initiate
steps, which can go a long way in rehabilitating the prisoners after their
release. The facility is for both for convicts as well as undertrials. For the
post-release rehabilitation of the prisoners, the Social Welfare
Department of Delhi Govt. provides loans for setting up self-employed
units.
Legal Aid
Legal Aid Cells exist in Rohini Jail with facilities for drafting, typing and
dealing with bail applications, misc. application, appeals, revision etc. on
behalf of the Jail inmates. With the coming times the demand for legal
aid and advice has increased considerably. Majority of prisoners belong
to economically poor class and are not in a position to avail the services
of expensive lawyers.

INFRASTRUCTURE SETUP
· Meditation hall – For cleansing and disciplining mind, Yoga and
meditation classes were started in a big way with the help of various
voluntary organizations. Staff members are also encouraged, to
attend meditation courses. This has helped many prisoners in
changing the whole approach to life.
· Tailoring Room – This unit was primarily started for imparting
vocational training to convicts for post release rehabilitation. This
section caters to tailoring requirements of prisoners and Jail staff
uniform. Effective quality control measure with rigid scrutiny of
efficiency has led to remarkable increase in the turnover of this unit.
· Bakery Section – The inmates are being taught about the process of
preparing bakery items such as biscuits, namkeens, bread etc. which
are used for either self consumption or selling purposes.
· Library – The library of the Rohini Jail was rich in books, magazines,
journals and newspapers. The books contained epics, stories, novels,
philosophical items, law books, and different acts etc. which were in
different languages. The walls of the library were painted beautifully
by some scenery which was done by inmates. Also various paintaings
of important figures were hung on the wall.
· Pharmacy – There was a pharmacy also in the Rohini Jail in ward
no.2 which was used to provide medicines to the sick patients free of
cost.
· Washing Plant – The Rohini Jail had a washing plant for the purpose
of washing clothes and their ironing. However this facility was on paid
basis and the inmates has to pay for using this washing plant.
· Tailoring – There was a separate room in which stitching, tailoring
and weaving training was given to the prisons as a part of the
rehabilitational measure.

· Masala Unit – The spices that are used in the kitchen were prepared
with the help of grinding machines in this room. This was also done
by the prisoners only.
· Kitchen – The inmates have to prepare the food for the whole prison
department and the prisoners as well in this kitchen. Food for about
2000 people is prepared by the inmates per meal.
· Music Room – Music room was equipped with various musical
instruments like dholak, table, sitar, harmonium, mikesand other
musical instruments. The Rohini Jail’s inmates were having their own
mandlis. This room was also used by the inmates for the preparation
of the competitions like “Tihar Idol”.
· FM DJ Room – The songs were aired to the entire jail premises
through this room. This was done in order to divert the minds of the
inmates from bad ideas. The operator of this room was a prison
inmate. Other inmates can request him to play a song of their choice.
· Electrical Unit – Special course for electronics was being given to
the inmates in this room. This was also a part of the vocational and
recreational activities.
· Canteen – There were 2 types of canteens inside the jail i.e. the dry
canteen and the wet canteen. The menu for everyday was fixed. The
prisoners had to pay from their smartcard in order to buy stuff from
the canteen.
· Daily Need Shop – This shop contains the items of the daily needs of
the prisoners like undergarments, creams, ointments, oil, combs,
soaps, towel etc. which was run by prisoners only on no-profit basis.
The others prisoners had to pay from their smartcard to buy these
items.
· Padho Aur Padhao Barrack – This was a classroom equipped with
benches, books, computer and a table. The prisoners come here for
basic education. The teacher of the inmates is a prisoner only.
· Video Conferencing Room – This room was used to present the
prisoner who is either ill or not in the condition to go the court in the
front of a judge virtually. The accused can give his statements to the
judge by using this facility. However the provision of video-conferencing
can be used on the prior order of judge only.

· Closed Circuit Television System - Prison Administration has
strengthened its security and surveillance on the activities of
prisoners as well as prison staff by installing closed circuit television
system in all the prisons. Each jail has a CCTV control room for
watching the activities and a state of the art Control Room has been
setup in the Prison Headquarters. The activities can be recorded for
seven days after which backup are taken.
· Model Interview Hall - Model Interview Halls are being constructed
in jails where the prisoners meet their relatives/ friends separated by
see through toughened glass and in soundproof environment. Each
cubical is earmarked for a prisoner where he/she can converse with
his/her relatives/friends through a one to one microphone system.
This system facilitates visitors to see and converse with their prisoner
in a proper manner.
· Bio-Metric Finger Identification System - The Bio Metric System
has been introduced with Prison Management System, which stores
photographs and biometric fingerprints of all the inmates. It helps in
facilitates the identification of correct prisoners for court production
and release.
· 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 importance and 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 seasonal bedding.
· Living Condition for Prisoners – Rohini Jail comprises of six wards
which has different barracks. The inmates living in each barrack
varies from 35-60. Each barrack has a television. The barracks and
cells are being provided with mosaic tiles.

CASE STUDY -1
Personal Information of the offender
Name Tareeq Khan
Age of the offender 27 years
Place Ghaziabad
Education of the offender 4th Class
Sections (IPC) 304B
Offence Dowry Death
Family Background
Offender’s family lives in Ghaziabad. His father is running a
small grocery shop in their area. The offender is having 2 small brothers
who are only 14 years and 16 years old. His mother is a house wife,
Offender’s Detail
The name of the offender is Tareeq Khan. The offender was
27 years old. The educational background of the offender is very poor.
Before he was convicted for the offence, he was working as a barber.
The offender was married 4 months ago before the conviction. He was
convicted for the offence of killing his wife by burns as his demand for
dowry was not fulfilled by his wife’s family.
If we discuss about the views of offender
According to the offender, his wife’s family has put the false
allegation of dowry death on him. As per the statement made by the
offender, his wife does not used to like him and was not happy from their
marriage. So after 3 months of his marriage she set herself to fire. The
offender although praised the services being provided to him in the jail
but also told some of the problems being faced by him in the jail. His
family members haven’t came to meet him since 2 months and he

doesn’t have any money in his smartcard without which survival inside
the jail becomes difficult.
CASE STUDY -2
Name Mohd. Ghulam Jilani
Father’s Name Abdul Khalid
Ward Number 5
Category High Risk
Place Jammu & Kashmir
Education of the offender Graduate
Sections UAPA,1960
Offence Separatist
Status Undertrial
Family Background
The offender is from Srinagar. His Father’s name is Moh.
Abdul Khalid. The offender is a member of Hurriyat Conference, a
conglomerate of separatist parties in Jammu & Kashmir. His family is
also settled in Kashmir and earning their bread by selling apples.
Offender’s Detail
The name of the offender is Moh. Ghulam Jilani. The
offender was 42 years old. He was arrested from Srinagar in 2000 and is
undertrial since then. He is requesting for plebiscite but it’s been
unheard since long. There demand is for free Kashmir: neither India nor
Pakistan.
If we discuss the views of offender
According to offender, he was arrested from Srinagar but the
officials have shown it as Delhi. He has no faith in criminal justice system

of India as it’s been 4 years that he is in undertrial. He has made his
mind for independent Kashmir. He is still supporting the members of
Hurriyat.
Personal Analysis
The case of the subject is very sensitive ones. At one side is the
question of personal safety and integrity and at others fall the freedom of
choice.The issue needs to be handled with full wisdom keeping the
Preamble and Basic Structure of Indian Constitution in mind.

CASE STUDY -3
Name Mr. Sahil
Place Rohini
Education of the offender B.A. Economics
Sections (IPC) 302
Offence Murder
Offender’s Detail
His family lives in Sector-11, Rohini. The offender is a graduate in
Economic from Delhi University. He was the sole bread earner of the
family and was running a handbag and suitcase store in Pitampura,
Delhi. The offender was an undertrial for the offence of murder of his
neighbor.
If we discuss about the views of offender
The offender told us about some of the activities of the
prisoners. As per the statement made by him, the offender was living in
the prison since 4 years and his case is still going on in the court. The
offender is running a daily care shop in the ward no.1 of the Rohini Jail
on no profit basis. Earlier it was difficult for the offender to survive in the
jail but slowly he started adjusting with the conditions of the jail.

PERSONAL OBSERVATION
· Every visitor coming to the Rohini District Jail has to enter his/her
name and visit timings, for which a separate register was maintained
and looked after by the security staff.
· Security of prison was maintained by CRPF, Delhi Jail Personnel and
Tamil Nadu Special Police. The out gates there were looked after by
the CRPF. Various instruments used for the security check includes
CCTV camera surveillance, mobile jammers, X-Ray scanners, hand-held
metal detectors, computerized Prisoner Management System,
latest weaponry, Quick Reaction Teams and multi layer security
system. We were asked to remove our shoes for security check-up
before entering into the prison premises. There was a lady constable
for the security check-up of the females. No outsider official or non-official
was allowed to carry anything with himself inside the jail
premises. We were provided visitor’s card after our security check-up.
· There was a “MULAQAT KAKSH” i.e. meeting room which was made
for the prisoners for the purpose of meeting their family members.
There was a manual system of booking mulaqats in the jail for its
respective inmates. The convicted inmates were allowed to meet their
family members twice a week in alphabetical order. The maximum
time allotted for mulaqat is 35 minutes/ week.
· The inmates were provided with a SMART CARD, which recently has
replaced the coupon system, to avail services inside the jail such as
canteen, blanket, soap, shampoo, oil and other toiletries.
· Though the jail is considered to be a model jail but still I observed the
lack of proper ventilation as there was no facility for exhaust in the
kitchen. There was a separate room for kitchen staff and their routine
is different from the others.
· The convicted prisoners have to make a food for rest of the inmates.
The kitchen was neat & clean and was equipped with wheat grinding
machine and masala grinding machine for preparation of food in

hygienic manner. Special food is provided on the days of national
importance and festivals.
· Medical services were available to the prisoners 24*7 in ward No.1.
There was a Senior Medical Officer in this ward and an ambulance
was also available in case of an emergency. There was a pharmacy
shop also in this ward which provides free medicines to the prisoners.
Total 6 doctors were available shift wise. There were separate beds
for the infectious inmates. In MI room there were 14 beds along with a
washroom. There was a separate room for drugs addict counseling.
· The jail is running many humanistic schemes for improving the
condition of the prisoners such as “Sparsh Scheme” in which the
prisoners whose relatives did not come for the mulaqat for more than
a month are provided monetary benefits in their account, which they
can use to avail the services provided in the jail. The prisoners can
also make use of it to meet the travel expenses when they are
releases on parole. This fund is borne by Prisoners Welfare Fund.
· If a prisoner is of good conduct, he is appointed as Sewadar. Most of
the work inside the prison is monitored by him. There was a provision
for honoring the Sewadar by the title of “SEWADAR OF THE
MONTH”.
· The jail provided various reformative and correctional opportunities to
the inmates such as vocational training, educational programmes
through IGNOU, computer courses, baking school,
yoga/meditation/spiritual courses, libraries, HIV prevention and
awareness programmes
· The prisoners who were of good conduct and those who helped in
educating and reforming other prisoners were awarded separately by
the jail authorities. One such prisoner came in my contact who was
awarded by Rs. 11,000/- and a shawl.
· Elderly prisoner who were above 55 years of age were not interested
in talking to anyone and attending social gatherings.
· Jeans, shoes of thick soles, net sweater etc. were prohibited for the
inmates in the jail premises.
· There was a Grievance Redressal Room for the inmates but no
competent authority was present there.

· There was a separate room for the inmates in which there was
provision of video-conferencing. We were told that only those
prisoners who were unable to present themselves before the judge
were allowed to use this mechanism but prior permission of the
concerned judge is required for that.
· The prisoners were having the newspaper facility also in different
language and a separate register was maintained for that.
· Bar prisons with double door security were there for high security
prisoners. Ward no.5 of the Rohini District Jail carried such 11 high
risk prisoners. The category of the prisoners was serial murderers,
militants, separatists, terrorists, insurgents and some political
prisoners. Restricted movement was seen in their case.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
· It seems over-crowding is a big issue for lack of proper attention
towards the inmates as the jail can house only 1050 prisoners but it is
accommodating more than 2000 prisoners, which is just double the
capacity of the jail. On an average there were 40-45 inmates in one
barrack. And to my surprise there were 65 prisoners in one of the
barrack.
· I was told by the Deputy Superintendent of Jail that the under trial
prisoners can wear normal casuals and it is mandatory for the
convicted prisoners to wear uniform which was of white colour. But
only the Sewadars were wearing white colour uniform.
· Since every barrack have a separate washroom but it is not sufficient
for the sanitation of 40-45 prisoners residing in one barrack. It is a
root-cause of many diseases also such as tuberculosis, hepatitis and
other water-borne and air-borne diseases.
· Though it is a fundamental right to privacy of every Indian citizen
flowing from Article 21 of the Indian Constitution which also includes
prisoners subject to some restrictions, the privacy to the prisoners is
not given in few matters such as availing washroom services. The
washrooms were present in the barrack itself and were not properly
walled or covered. Moreover there was no exhaust present.
· Welfare officers present there were competent to counsel the
prisoners but at the same time he has no time to meet prisoners
individually. Lack of counseling is major hindrance in the reformation
of the prisoners.
· Although the security inside the jail was tight enough regarding the
inmates but when it comes to the security check-up of the visitors it
was lenient as during our 3 day visit to Rohini District Jail the security
staff skipped the security check up of the girls

SUGGESTIONS
· Over-crowding should be reduced by opening more jails to improve
the health conditions and personal hygiene of the inmates.
· Counselor should be appointed at Rohini District Jail which can
reduce the aggression of the inmates by providing them counseling
individually.
· Compensation should be provided to the needy, poor, destitute and
old-age prisoners.
· Active involvement of NGOs, CSOs and other organization working
towards the betterment of the prison system in India and prisoners is
required.
· The infrastructural setup for religious and spiritual teachings needs to
be tightened.
· Criminologists, sociologists and psychologists should be appointed
who can work together in understanding the nature of crime and
criminals, the behavior of the prisoners and their psychology so that
more stress can be laid on their reformation and social reintegration
which is the primary purpose the prison system in India.
· Adequate and quality food and sanitation facilities should be provided
to the prisoners because they are in prison not for the punishment as
a punishment.
· Training of prisoners along with their entertainment should be given
due importance.

Jail visit report

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