Creative work in jail will help inmates get back to mainstream: Judge

If prisoners get involved in creative work and arts during their jail term, it will help them in changing their mindset and get back to the mainstream, Nagpur's Principal District and Sessions Judge S C More has said.

He was speaking on Wednesday after inaugurating an exhibition of rakhis, wooden articles, and clothes made by inmates of the central jail here in Maharashtra.

The judge appreciated the creative work of the prisoners and said, "I had no idea that there are artisans in this prison. If their time in jail is spent doing good work, their nature will change."

Jail superintendent Anup Kumar said the prison administration was providing a platform to the inmates to showcase their hidden talent.

He said the articles were made in the factory section of the jail by prisoners, who were given a variety of training to develop their hidden skills.

The prison's deputy superintendent, Deepa Aage, said the Nagpur prison had six factories which were earlier generating a revenue of more than Rs six crore every year.

After the outbreak of COVID-19, the revenue dipped to Rs 1.20 crore this year, she said.

"The Nagpur prison got a contract to provide furniture for a newly-constructed court building here,” she said, adding that furniture made by prisoners of various jails was provided to Amravati, Dhule and other courts in the state.