Open prisons in Rajasthan: Policy and experience

 ‘‘Life in jail is very difficult. We cannot see the outside world and we are stressed out,’’ says Vinod Kumar (30), who is serving life imprisonment since 2016 for murdering two persons. Hailing from Sangaria, he was lodged in the jails of Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Bikaner, before being moved to the open air camp at the Agricultural Research Sub-station in Hanumangarh 17 months ago.

“I live with my wife now. I am happy. I meet common people and work throughout the day to support my family. During this time, I also became the father of a girl child,” he beams. Seven months ago, Kumar was sent to the open jail in Tibbi town, where he lives with his wife Rajpal Kaur.

The open jail in Tibbi is a cowshed run by Gayatri Seva Samiti, with over 400 cows. This prison does not have all-round security. There are no high walls or barbed wires either.

‘‘I do not even feel that my husband is serving a prison sentence and that we are living in a jail. I am very happy. We are able to survive on his wages,’’ says Kaur.

Established as per the provisions of the Rajasthan Prisoners Open Air Camp Rules, 1972, there are 50 open jails in Rajasthan, with 11 in Hanumangarh district.

‘‘Open jail is a positive step from the state government as part of the social rehabilitation of prisoners. Convicts who have completed one-third of their sentences and have shown good conduct in prison are selected for open jails. For this, a seniority list of prisoners meeting these conditions is prepared,” Hanumangarh District Jail Deputy Superintendent Yogendra Kumar Teji tells 101Reporters. 

While lauding the Rajasthan government for its open jail system, the Supreme Court recently stressed the need to establish such prisons in all states. The court said that open jails can reduce overcrowding of main jails, besides addressing the problem of rehabilitation of prisoners.

Walls don’t confine

To understand the functioning of an open air camp, 101Reporters spent a day in Tibbi's open jail. A first look at the prisoners using a chaff cutter clearly indicates that this place is not as suffocating as a traditional jail. There is permission to keep 15 prisoners here, but only 10 sentenced to life for murder are present here. They wear clothes of their choice and not prison uniforms, and stay up-to-date by reading newspapers.  

Prisoners have their personal smartphones that help them keep in touch with their family and friends. Two prisoners have their wives and children with them in the open jail. 

Dr Manish Baghla, a psychologist at Tantia University, Sriganganagar, tells 101Reporters that prisoners in closed jails remain frustrated and angry as they are away from their family and society. “Cut off from the society, they become quarrelsome. The condition of prisoners changes when they are moved to open jails. They feel happy doing whatever work they get. They are no longer stressed out. Being with the family and meeting common people bring positivity in them,” Baghla says. 

On the genesis of open jail system, retired Jail Superintendent Sudhir Prakash Poonia tells 101Reporters that Rajasthan government was inspired by the 1957 movie Do Ankhen Barah Haath, which shows how a prison officer changes the lives of six hardened criminals released on parole by keeping them in an open environment.

Poonia says the credit for establishing open jails in the state goes to Sampurnanand, the state governor of the 1960s. The first open jail in Rajasthan was launched in Jaipur’s Sanganer in 1963, while the second one was inside the Central State Agricultural Farm at Sardargarh in Sriganganagar district. Afterwards, jail department inspector general JK Sharma, SS Bissa and others promoted it.

According to a report, Sanganer open jail was first launched in 1958 with 20 prisoners, but was discontinued in 1962. However, Sampurnanand got it restarted in 1963. The jail was later renamed after him.

According to Poonia, the state was an early bird in establishing open jails, which boosted its confidence to set up more such jails. 

Based on a research conducted by Smita Chakraburtty of NGO Prison Aid + Action Research and published by Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority in 2017, the Supreme Court had favoured establishment of at least one open jail in every district of the country. The research said one jail employee could handle up to 80 prisoners in an open jail, whereas that is not possible in traditional jails. It said overcrowding of jails due to the large number of undertrials could be reduced through the open jail system. The study claimed that undertrials did not escape even when kept in the open without security barricades.  

Rohtash Meghwal (45) of Gheu in Hanumangarh was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 2017. “Today, I live with my wife and children only because of the open jail,” says Rohtash. After spending life in the traditional prisons of Bhadra, Bikaner and Hanumangarh, he was shifted to the open jail of Agricultural Research Sub-station last year and has now come to Tibbi open jail.

‘‘In the morning, I cut cattle fodder from the fields and feed it to animals. In return, I get a payment from the gaushala, which helps support my family. My son aged 10 and daughter aged nine study in a nearby government school in class V and IV, respectively,’’ says Rohtash. 

“Earlier, I was worried about my husband. Now we are very happy living together,” Rohtash's wife Sunita Meghwal (42) adds.

The government provides neither food nor money to the prisoners of open jail. Gaushala committee secretary Chhindrapal Soni tells 101Reporters that they pay every prisoner Rs 250 per day for the work they do. “Every prisoner gets one litre of milk free. The work starts once their attendance is taken at 6 am. The next roll call is at 6 pm,’’ Soni says.

Of the 11 open jails in Hanumangarh, 10 were opened in cow shelters last year. Altogether, these open jails can accommodate 160 inmates, but only 132 inmates are present now.

Fear to faith

When the prison administration presented the proposal of open jail to the officials of gaushala committees, they initially hesitated. ‘‘We were horrified of keeping convicts, but still agreed to implement the request of the jail authorities. It has been almost a year now. Our fear has gone. The behaviour of all the prisoners is good. They do their job well. We never had problems with them. We do not get anything from the government for keeping prisoners, but we are happy that we are contributing to a good cause,’’ Soni details.

Goshala caretaker Roshan Verma was afraid of interacting with prisoners when they were brought here last year. “Gradually, we mingled with each other. They are also human beings, after all.”

Papparam Meghwal (29) of Balesar in Jodhpur district is serving life imprisonment for murdering his wife. He was lodged in Jodhpur jail after the court sentence in January 2021. Two months ago, after taking note of his good behaviour, he was sent to Tibbi open jail.

"If a person falls ill, he goes to the hospital like a common man, consults a doctor and returns with medicines... I cook my own food after getting the necessary supplies from the market,” Papparam says. 

Vouching for the open jail system, Poonia says prisoners in open jails have been meeting him after their release and they have completely integrated into the society. ‘‘The open jail is acting as a link between the society and jail. Prisoners are getting relief from the stress of closed jails. At the same time, the burden of prisoner expenditure is decreasing. Families are saved from collapse as prisoners can live with their family in open jails,” Poonia says.

“Many prisoners start thinking of escaping or committing suicide. Open jails have changed the situation. Now prisoners think why not live comfortably and serve their sentence… They avoid wrongdoing because they are afraid of being sent back to the traditional jail. Open jail is an effective reformative process,” he asserts.

A former soldier and resident of Nokha Jodha in Nagaur district, Sardar Singh Rathore (50) was sentenced to life for murdering his wife. “I have been in this open jail for four months and I am feeling very pleasant. There is a great satisfaction in serving cows,” he says.

Jamadar Banjara (34) of Devpuria in Baran district echoes Rathore when he says he has got freedom from both suffocation in traditional jail and lingering worries. Devi Lal Bhil (30) of Tasol in Rajsamand adds that there was neither peace during the day nor rest at night. “The shift to open jail has filled me with energy.”

The experiences of inmates like Vinod, Rohtash, and Papparam indicate the transformative potential of open jails, not just for those serving life sentences, but also for the families they reunite with and the communities they contribute to. 

In a 2016 judgment (Re–Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons), the Supreme Court of India urged all states to establish open prisons as a means to decongest traditional jails and promote the rehabilitation of prisoners. The Court noted that such systems align with progressive correctional principles by offering inmates dignity, responsibility, and the opportunity for social reintegration.

As Rajasthan continues to expand its open jail network, with the majority now operating from gaushalas, it offers a working model of reform that other states can emulate.

(Amarpal Singh Verma is a Rajasthan-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.) 

This story has been produced by 101Reporters, an independent news agency with a network of 3,000+ freelance journalists across the country, in collaboration with Crime & Punishment, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.