Amritsar Central Jail Is Helping Inmates Overcome Addiction

Amritsar Central jail is the biggest jail in Punjab state housing about 3500 inmates. It is also the most sensitive jail of the state as its inmates span a wide criminal spectrum, including terrorists, gangsters and smugglers. Every day a third of the new inmates are drug addicts and, given its location near Pakistan, it is most crucial for the law and order of Punjab. Praveen Kumar Sinha, IPS, ADGP Prison said,

The challenge of correctional administration in Punjab can be summed up in these words- Whereas the people living in prisons are all on the wrong side of the law, with complex and twisted thought processes; the physical environment is a draconian confined concreted world, very often withering, dark and unforgiving; the expectation is to create an enabling space where criminals get reformed and become socially productive citizens of the future. A tall ask, by any standards, I should say. Some of the greatest minds of the world have blossomed in prisons. Humanity, then, is indebted as much to them as to its prisons.

He further said that a good correctional administrator can never ignore the human rights of prisoners as who knows, he could be coming in the way of a Gandhi or a Mandela.

1200 inmates who are drug abusers queue up daily to get their daily dose of medication, an opioid substitute at the Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment centre (OOAT) in the jail premises overcome their addiction.

Nine central jails and five district jails have these OOAT centres in Punjab. Sajjan Singh is nearly completing his term and has benefited with the OOAT and skill centre. Sajjan Singh, Inmate, Amritsar Jail shared,

I came to jail for a murder case but the authorities have taken care, supported helped us, OOAT has helped me a lot and I have left the habit of drugs. In fact I am thankful that I can use my skills that I have learnt in the tailoring unit once I go out and lead a good life.

Sukhchain, another Inmate, who belongs to Bhatinda has been a drug addict for 12 years and convicted under the National Drug and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for possession of heroin.

The dose of the substitute medicine, Buprenorphine has helped him manage his withdrawal symptoms. Sukhchain proudly shared,

This is good for me as in my body feels better and in the past 4 months, my dosage of medicine has reduced from 5 to 3 tablets and soon I will leave this and lead a drug-free life.

To ensure the rehabilitation and re-entry of the inmates into civil society different skills development courses provide opportunities for prison inmates to engage in fruitful pursuits during the term of their sentence and after they are released, which sees a drop in recidivism. Lakhminder Singh Jakhar, DIG Jails informed us that,

Recidivism, which refers to a person's relapse into criminal behaviour, has come down so the number of people going out of the jail only to return has come down as they want to mend their life. So, we try to use their will to improve and we assist them to improve themselves.

A jail is called a state within a state, its laws govern its affairs. Jail is a crucial part of the criminal justice system and is at the bottom of the justice system. The OOAT centre and skill development programmes will hopefully help the inmates reform their lives in such a way that they can be rehabilitated in society as better human beings.