Shahjahanpur (UP), Aug 27 (PTI): Vocational training received in jail has helped nearly 100 inmates start small businesses and earn a livelihood here after their release, officials said on Thursday.
"Our aim is to transform the jail from a place of punishment into a correctional facility," Shahjahanpur District Jail Superintendent Jitendra Pratap Tiwari said.
Inmates are trained in painting, tailoring, making flower pots and painting buildings and many of them are using these skills after their release to support their families, he said.
Paintings made by inmates, including artworks carrying social messages, are displayed at stalls during Lok Adalats in the district. Judges and lawyers have appreciated the works and often purchased them, he said.
"Several former inmates have recently met me and thanked the jail administration for the training, which helped them start their own businesses after their release," Tiwari said.
A psychiatrist has also been arranged to counsel inmates who arrive with feelings of revenge and anger, he said.
Rajiv Kumar, a resident of Fatehgarh, said he learnt to make flower pots during his imprisonment and started his own business after his release.
Another former inmate, Ramniwas of Sidhauli, said he learnt tailoring in jail and described the prison as a place that helped him start a new life rather than a place of punishment.
(PTI)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
