Lucknow: Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh released a detailed research report titled “Study of the status of women prisoners and their children and their communication needs in Indian prisons with special reference to Uttar Pradesh” prepared by Dr. Vartika Nanda, Head of the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi under the aegis of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
In his address, the Chief Secretary said that various welfare measures are being taken for the women prisoners and their children living with them in the jails of Uttar Pradesh. These include construction of separate accommodation and barracks for women prisoners, improvement in health services as well as education and skill training initiatives.
He expressed gratitude to Dr. Vartika Nanda and said that she has chosen a difficult subject for research. Undertrial prisoners also have to stay in jail along with convicted prisoners. Usually people do not want to discuss this subject because they do not feel positive vibes or feelings.
He said that a good environment in jails regarding infrastructure, communication, social activity will increase positivity among prisoners and reduce the recidivism rate of crime. Efforts will be made to implement the recommendations made in the research report for reform in jails in the state. He wished Dr. Vartika Nanda to continue this work further.
It is noteworthy that this research was done by prison reformer and media educator Dr. Vartika Nanda under the domain of media, culture and society, which has been approved by ICSSR and rated as ‘excellent’. The study covered a period of one year between March 2019 and 2020. Since the pandemic started in 2020, the study also included the communication needs of prisoners during the pandemic.
District Jail, Agra was selected as the main center of study for this project. It is one of the oldest prison buildings in India, which was constructed in the year 1741 AD. In addition, 5 other prisons, namely Nari Bandi Niketan, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Banda district jails and Central Jail, Naini, Prayagraj were specifically selected for the study.
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India, with the highest number of women prisoners and their children in 2018 and also the highest number of convicts and undertrials. Keeping these facts in mind, 6 major prisons were selected from across the state for the study, Eastern (Banda and Prayagraj), Western (Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Agra) and Central Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow). The study also includes several references from other Indian prisons including Delhi Jail, Tihar.
Dr. Vartika Nanda is a prison reformer and media educator who uses best practices of journalism and education for prison reforms. She is the founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation, which works to improve prison life, including by starting prison radio in District Jail, Agra and prisons in Haryana. She has written three books on prisons. Her Tinka Tinka Prison Radio podcasts are special podcasts dedicated to Indian prisons. The President of India awarded her the Stree Shakti Puraskar in 2014. She has also been named twice in the Limca Book of Records for her unique work on prison reforms. Her work on prisons was taken into cognizance by the Supreme Court of India in 2018. Currently, she heads the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi.
The research report effectively highlights the loneliness experienced by women prisoners, whose needs are rarely met in prisons compared to men. Prisons are usually designed keeping in mind the needs of the male population. As a result, women, children and transgenders entering the prison system face many challenges due to inadequate healthcare, communication facilities, recreational programmes, vocational training and creative engagements. Their needs are rarely properly addressed in prisons and the facilities provided to them are much less and inadequate compared to men. Thus, women prisoners live in a prison within a prison.
Generally, women prisoners are not encouraged by the prison staff to participate in prison radio. They are heavily dependent on television for entertainment which further degrades the quality of the prison environment.
Director General of Police Prisons P.V. Rama Shastri, Principal Secretary Namami Gange Anurag Shrivastava, Principal Secretary Tourism Mukesh Kumar Meshram, Managing Director Jal Nigam (Rural) Dr. Raj Shekhar, Director Information Shishir and other senior officials were present on the occasion.
