LIVING THE SYLLABUS

HISTORY PAPER-II - 6. Social and Religious Reform Movements in Bengal and Other
Areas

During my final yr – bachelor of arch having chosen REFORMING LIVES IN CENTRAL JAIL as
my black book research topic and REFORMATION CENTRE AT CENTRAL JAIL”as my final year
thesis design topic, I visited and interviewed prison inmates (both male and female) & jail staff too, as
initial research data to begin with my project research.

The interview with prison inmates and jail staff was very specific to my thesis topic. The sole aim of my
visit was only to learn about current prison infrastructure and architecture thus to derive to a solution as to
how architecture can help reform psychology of inmates in a positive manner and use same conclusion as
my concept to my design.

For the same research I went on to do some offline as well as online case studies. During this hunt for site I
decided to categorise prisons in two types – 1) those that serve as reformative facilities to inmates and 2)
those that serve as punitive / retributive facilities.

I then arrived upon yerwada central jail, pune and Thane central jail,Thane which serve as reformative
facility and Taloja central jail, kharghar, navi mumbai which serves as retributive facility as my offline
case studies. There I initally interviwed the supridentent of police, police inspectors , police constables and
a few inmates to know about their perspective regarding the jail reforms and what is it they personally feel
should or should not be changed, upgraded and thus reformed.

Observations were made and noted. Unlike the police officers promoted by appearing for MPSC
examination, the officers promoted by departmental promotions couldn’t answer many of my questions
due to lack of knowledge of prison reforms.

I found many criminals are ‘EDUCATED CRIMINALS and the statistics from National crime record
bureau (ncrb) reports,2018 confirmed me the same. One of the inmates greeted me with a handshake and
offcourse he could speak English. I was flabbergasted in the moment because this particular man had just
breoke all the sterotypes I envisioned about criminals.

I finalised TALOJA CENTRAL JAIL as my final site under consideration reson being unlike many other
priosns that were built during the british era, this specific prison was constructed in 2008 i.e after our
independence when the reform policies were already being debated upon and brought into practise by jails
like yerwada central jail. So the planners and architects and the superior authorities by all means should
have incorporated the reformative measures not only through mere initiatives but the prison architecture
should have had reformative design to satisfy and qualify the criteria of BASIC MINIMUM LIVING
STANDARDS. But till the date so such initivaties were made and brought into practise.

Why do I think reformation in prisons is must?

Hate the crime; not the criminal!

This thought is a perfect reflection of the way I feel and comprehend the intricacies of the
‘mentality of society’ towards punishment and torture. From time immemorial, man has
been continually working and improvising on his mentality, through school, college and
university education. We as a society have changed and grownup a lot by technology,
economy, architecture, but our mentality has not.
the existing Indian Incarceration system which dates back and still functions same as it did
in British era. The policies since then kept changing but conditions of some of our prisons
have worsened. When it comes to infrastructure progress in developing countries, there are
projects that instantaneously appeal to us like hospitals or schools. And then there are
those that are a much to tougher sell like prisons. No recovery or reformation can ever
happen without a constructive space around an individual. Prisons and Jails have
permanently been ignored.

We being a literate society yet fail to understand that the process of leaving prison can be a
difficult one. Society cannot be permitted to complain the rates of re-offense and then
artfully blame the criminal justice system. We have to accept our duty in the way we greet
ex-prisoners.

Prisoners are regarded as a burden to the Society. Although the society thinks it suitable to
lock up every criminal behind the bars, government agrees with prisons being punitive
facility and not reformative. The sensible part of me questions whether this will eventually
be of any good for the humanity as a whole in the long run. Will crime really reduce just by
not accepting them, punishing and torturing them, confining them??

The truth about the unfortunate criminal mind is that it can always be
rehabilitated, reformed and re-directed to channelize optimistic dynamisms to
benefit the society, if the period of retribution and confinement is managed well.

Over the past 70 years, the crime rate in India has steadily gone up. It is clear that just
punishment is not enough to cure convicts of this illness called crime. Also many criminals
continue to reoffend after serving sentence. Therefore, we need to come up with some
solution for Recidivism.

It is observed, in many cases, that prisoners who once released often reoffend in a few years
post release and re-enter the overcrowding prisons. This point to the fact that the entire
concept of jail and incarceration has lost its soul aim and purpose.

It’s an high time that we start reforming not only prisoners but also prison architecture and
Indian prison system. Unless there are some certain changes made in prison norms the
architecture will continue to remain same as it is currently. And current prison
environment, the types of spaces inside are not helping anymore to the motto of
REHABILITATION AND REFORMATION OF CRIMINALS.

Reintegration of the individual into the society demands the ability of the offender to
personally adapt to the society and build on his creative skills. For this, a process of change
is essential that must engage rather than negate the emotions of the offender.

 The offender must evolve physically, emotionally and intellectually.

 In order to achieve this, a redefining of the facility, the individuals within, the
program and form must occur.

After all, REFORMATION HAS TO BENOT ONLY PHYSICAL BUT SPIRITUALAND

PAYCHOLOGICAL TOO.