come from movies who can forget that
famous line by Amitabh Bachchan in the
movie Kalia wherein he says hum Johar
cutting out their line where he says
shooter hoodie here though this line
romanticizes prison scene in actuality
prisons are dark dungeons everything
about them is grim and gray particularly
when it comes to prisoners who are poor
prisons are supposed to be great
levelers unfortunately they are not
discrimination is writ large in prisons
flouting rules laws coat orders if you
have no money to bribe prisons will
literally turn out to be hell for you
on the other hand there is a quid pro
quo arrangement between the prison
officials and the wealthy prisoners so
what are these privileges that are
available to some flouting rules and
laws firstly privileges in jails is
mostly about space and cleanliness while
an ordinary prisoner is dumped in a cell
which is overcrowded so much so that
even to sleep prisoners have to take
turns
not to mention the toilets that are very
dirty and abode of infections on the
other hand a wealthy prisoner can manage
to get a single cell all for oneself
when I was d IG prisons in Bengaluru I
had reported on jail irregularities
wherein I had mentioned how a
politically powerful prisoner was given
five cells with one cell being used as
the yoga room another as sleeping room
another to keep belongings and so on
coupled with 150 feet length of corridor
be used as
private walking space where none could
enter another area of privileges is
about visitors you must have seen in the
movies that there is a meshed window
between the prisoner and the visitor
often the prisoner has to struggle to
get a glimpse of the family members
across that window sometimes has to
shout on top of his voice to be heard
and even before he completes the
conversation within two minutes he will
be whisked away on the other hand a
wealthy prisoner can manage to get a
private room to meet the visitors with
no restrictions whatsoever on the
duration of visit or the number of
visitors you might find it unbelievable
but it is actually true
that if one is resourceful one can get
LED TV with all channels newspapers
magazines air cooler induction stoves at
times refrigerator to keep cold drink or
energy drink can where one’s own branded
clothes as against the jail uniform
use of mobile phones is rampant and
sometimes the system is misused to such
an extent that prisoners go and sit in
the jail officials room and use the
official landline phones not very long
ago interestingly a mining baron of
south india was put behind bars by the
orders of the highest court of this
country and you will not believe he was
about to get constructed for himself a
tennis court inside the prison
thankfully the saving grace was that he
went out on bail another area of
privileges is about food while food is
served arbitrarily to poor prisoners
sometimes less than required sometimes
uncooked and so on
a wealthy prisoner can manage to get
healthy delicious food cooked according
to one’s own tastes
either you can get it cooked in jail or
can get it from home or hotel every day
hospital visits are another area on the
pretext of showing to a specialized
doctor prisoners often go and get
admitted in high five air-conditioned
hospitals where they can move freely
meet anyone and everyone eat the desired
food and so on the Supreme Court noted
that an MLA member of Legislative
Assembly from eastern India had spent
out of his four years imprisonment term
had spent about one and half years in a
hospital outside the prison similarly a
query under the Right to Information Act
in Nitish katara murder case reveals
that the accused
within two years jail term had gone out
sixty six times as an OPD patient to a
hospital outside the prison if this is
about the influential prisoners what
about the underdogs the underdog
prisoners are more at risk of catching
infections because they are dumped in
overcrowded unhygenic cells hardly any
medical tests or diagnosis takes place
to tackle this problem during my stint I
had initiated a small step whereby every
prisoner on his day one of entry into
the prison would be required to undergo
series of medical tests including that
of HIV and tuberculosis this was done
with two objectives one early diagnosis
leads to early treatment second isolate
individuals with tuberculosis to check
its spread among others it’s a very
common talk among prisoners about the
bribe rate for parole and every other
facility no moneyed prisoners will not
even get service of lawyers during my
stint I had identified about eight of
them who were from extremely poor
socioeconomic status they were non
locals so did not know local language
had no local acquaintance and for this
same reason they also did not have the
service of lawyers they were forgotten
either after chargesheet or after arrest
so I put them through free legal aid
available with the district legal
services authority another very
important area of differentiation is the
behavior of the prison officials when a
very powerful politician or a very rich
businessman lands in prison prison
officials greet them with salutes and
smiles whereas for an ordinary prisoner
the day begins and ends with abuses
ill-treatment is rampant disgruntled
prison staff take out their frustration
on hapless powerless prisoners as a
prisoner confided at every step it is
either the money or the body that is up
for grabs
so in this process prisoners get
dehumanized now some of you may ask me
what is the big deal if some privileges
are given to certain prisoners well to
them I would like to say it is of utmost
concern and needs to be checked simply
because if you spare a moment of thought
as to what propels people to commit
crime you will realize that the
socio-economic theory says conditions of
inequality discrimination deprivation
prejudice against the poor ill treatment
of the poor are all the reasons that
compel people to commit crime now if the
same conditions of inequality
discrimination deprivation are all
replicated inside the four walls of the
prison what motivation will a poor
prisoner have to reform himself his idea
or belief will get reinforced that
committing crimes breaking laws taking
shortcuts are the only methods for a
comfortable living unfair prison system
is more dangerous than anything else
simply because
prisoners will go in and come out as
bigger criminals it is therefore a
foremost necessity that we create
conditions of equality and
non-discrimination in prisons but this
is not easy to achieve prisons are the
most inert to change among all other
governmental institutions there is a
reason for this every other governmental
institution including police stations
there are complained of high handedness
and torture are open to general public
to the media to the RT activist social
activists and so on anyone can enter
anytime but what about prisons none can
enter so it is in this opaque system the
whims and fancies of the prison
officials become the law prisoners are
completely at their mercy prison
officers can turn demonic and unleash
terror in the dark caves called prisons
it is therefore high time we sensitized
sensitize the prison staff curb
corruption create conditions of fair
play and justice and equality in the
prisons for this technology can come in
as a savior CCTV cameras installed in
every cell can be monitored by the
courts or the prison headquarters and
can put an end to much of the woes of
prisoners well to conclude I will only
say when a high-profile criminal is put
behind bars after spending millions of
taxpayers money and decades time society
heaves a sigh of relief but ironically
for that high-profile offender it is
just the beginning of a second honeymoon
it is high time our prisons became
correctional institutions with emphasis
on reform and rehab
mutation else prisons will remain
breeding grounds of more perilous
criminals who will pose humongous
problems to the society thank you [Applause]