Rupa (name changed) reached the Women’s Jail and Correctional Home at Attakulangara, close to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the State capital, in March 2015.
By the time she was released on Wednesday, she had got herself a driving licence. Part of a group of seven inmates who received their licence, Rupa also appeared for her Class 10 equivalency examination the day before her release. She was also very active in other activities in which the inmates are trained. Once Rupa eases back into her life outside the prison walls, she can use her driving skills to earn a living and stay away from crime, hopes jail superintendent O.V. Valli.
The Attakulangara jail has space to accommodate 107 women inmates, but currently has only 60. As a correctional facility, it has been training inmates in various skills to provide them an opportunity to turn their life around when they walk out of here.
The food unit at the jail, for instance, churns out nearly 40 products made by three inmates. These include cakes, sweets, munchies, instant snacks, and pickle. For the inmates here, the day starts early — at 2 a.m. By 6 a.m., idli and sambar cooked using traditional idli thattu are ready. The inmates are paid ₹48 in wages for their work.
Artistic talent
Welfare Officer Rekha P. Nair is in charge of the sari design and nettipattam (ornamental caparisons) unit.
The sari design unit began by screen printing on Kerala saris, and then moved on to cotton colour saris in December last. The prisoners also make nettipattams and thidambu in various sizes. Some of the inmates are very talented, and their artistic skills and eye for colour are reflected in the products they make, Ms. Rekha Nair says. “Owing to the low cost of production, these are available at cheaper rates than those in the market. The sales too are good,” she adds.
The jail’s garden boasts of muringa, papaya, plantain, ginger, colocasia, long-podded cowpea, yam, chillies, tomato, brinjal and mushroom cultivation, all tended to by the prisoners. With 700 recently arrived growbags, the cultivation has been expanded further. “We believe the veggies here grow especially well because of the care and attention provided by the inmates,” the officials say.
A teacher trains the inmates in cutting and stitching. The unit has 11 sewing machines. Six prisoners here transform running material into salwar sets, tops, nighties, and underskirts, for sale at the jail and the ‘Free Fashionista’ counter at the Central Prison. There is also a soap and lotion unit, umbrella unit, and a paper bag unit. Some inmates use the time inside to complete their Class 4 and 7 equivalency courses of the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority under the supervision of a teacher, while others study even further, the officials say.
Joy of reading
The jail has an extensive library with over 6,500 books, and many an inmate is a voracious reader. An FM radio and a television are other sources of entertainment. Not only do the activities keep the inmates occupied, it is often what keeps them looking ahead during their days here.
“Inmates who are used to keeping busy come asking for work,” the officials say. Once an initial batch is trained in some skill, they train a few others too.
However, because there are very few inmates who are here for long periods, training remains an ongoing process. Ms. Valli says there are many who have used their skills to earn a steady income once they are released.
B. Pradeep, Deputy Inspector General of Prisons (South Zone) and Director, State Institute of Correctional Administration (Thiruvananthapuram), says driving and handicraft making were two good initiatives launched recently for prisoners. “Some of them are very creative, and we are trying to help them hone their skills so that they can look forward to a self-reliant life once they return to the world out there,” he says.