A VISIT TO YERWADA JAIL

“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should
not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”

― Nelson Mandela

The central prison of Pune which is one of the oldest prisons in India, having been built in
nineteenth century, is situated in Yerwada. It is a high-security prison and largest jail in the
state of Maharashtra, and also one of the largest prisons in South Asia. .The campus is
spread over 512 acres. It also has Yerwada Open Jail just outside the Yerwada Central jail
within the campus. Many famous personalities like Mahatma Gandhi have been jailed here
during the Indian independence movement in 1930s and 1940s. The Yerwada jail has a
capacity to house 2,323 prisoners but over 6,000 inmates – convicts and under-trials – are
lodged there at present. There are over 125 women inmates and 16 children belonging to
these inmates spread over various barracks and security zones. It even has egg-shaped cells
meant for high-security prisoners.

Yerwada Central Jail was built in 1871 by the British. Under British rule, the jail housed
many freedom fighters especially between 1930–42, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal
Nehru, Netaji Subhash Bose and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In 1924, Veer Savarkar was also kept
in the jail. During his 1932 imprisonment, which started after his arrest in January 1932,
Gandhi went on an indefinite fast to protest against the Communal Award on 20 September
1932, as a result of which the Poona Pact was passed, which he signed in the jail under a
tree on 24 September 1932 and was released in May 1933.As one enters the jail, the first
thing to the left is the cell of all the freedom fighters who were jailed here. During the
Emergency era of 1976-77, many political opponents were detained in this jail as in several
other jails all over India. Among those detained here were Balasaheb Deoras, Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, Pramila Dandavate, Vasant Nargolkar, Bhikuji Anna and many others. In 1998,
noted social worker Anna Hazare was briefly imprisoned here after he lost a defamation
suit, and Bollywood film actor Sanjay Dutt in 2007 and among other noted criminals,
scamster Telgi and former underworld don Arun Gawli started his political career while
being lodged in this jail, and is currently serving a life sentence here, in a murder case. The
26/11 Mumbai terror attacker, Ajmal Kasab who was jailed in 2008, was hanged and buried
here on November 21, 2012.

Yerwada Open Jail (YOJ) is situated just outside the Yerwada Central jail within the campus
and houses life prisoners, who have amicably completed five years in the central jail. Here
they live under basic security, and are not put in prison cells. Over 150 inmates of the open
jail grow organic vegetables, over five guntha of land, which are sent to the Yerwada
Central Prison and the women’s prison. Besides this, the cow shed has 30 cows, whose
dung is used in the farming activities.
A program designed to spread Gandhian principles in Yerwada prison was introduced in
Yerwada prison in 2002 by Asim Sarode, founder of Sahyog Trust. As part of the
programme, the prison inmates are taught Gandhian principles for one year, at the end of
the year, they have to appear for an examination. Admission to the course is
optional.Inmates of the jail produce nearly 5,000 clothes daily, supplied to jails across the
state, it has its own textile mill and later around 150 inmates, including women, are
involved in stitching these clothes. Some of these costumes, like uniforms of
superintendents, prisoners, wardens, and guards, were made for Madhur Bhandarkar’s
2009 film Jail.

In 2007, in an effort to promote Indian medicinal plants, 8,500 saplings of sandalwood were
planted within the central jail premises, while 9,000 saplings of Ashoka (saraca indica) in its
open jail. An Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) related facility was started at
the jail on October 2, 2008, by the Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), and
within the following year 55 inmates including six women tested HIV positive. It also has the
first-of-its-kind in-house 'radio' station for the prisoners, by the prisoners and about the
prisoners. As an incentive the jail authorities have reframed parole and remission rules for
working prisoners. Not only they earn Rs. 6.25 to 8 per day but also modifies prisoners
behaviour.

Prison education is widely appreciated because it adds to their reformation. Education

makes them better people. Most crimes are committed because of a lack of education and
not having a good job. So if they can get educated and get a job as they go out of prison, its
a good thing for the government. So the government encourages convicts to pursue a
degree of their choice or school exams when they are in prison. Sometimes, they are even
allowed to attend convocations etc. And prisoners can also reduce their sentence and leave
jail early if they show good results in their education. Yakub Memon did an MA in Literature
and a second MA in Political Science. He completed it and got his degree a few weeks
before his hanging.

There are two ways by which a prisoner gets released. They are Parole and Probation.
Parole refers to criminal offenders who are conditionally released from prison to serve the
remaining portion of their sentence in the community. Prisoners may be released to parole
either by a parole board decision (discretionary release/discretionary parole) or according
to provisions of a statute (mandatory release/mandatory parole). This definition of parole is
not restricted to only prisoners who are released through a parole board decision, but also
includes prisoners who are released based on provisions of a statute. Parolees can have a
number of different supervision statuses including active supervision, which means they are
required to regularly report to a parole authority in person, by mail, or by telephone. Some
parolees may be on an inactive status which means they are excluded from regularly
reporting, and that could be due to a number of reasons. For instance, some may receive a
reduction in supervision, possibly due to compliance or meeting all required conditions
before the parole sentence terminates, and therefore may be moved from an active to
inactive status. Other supervision statues include parolees who only have financial
conditions remaining, have absconded, or who have active warrants. Parolees are also
typically required to fulfil certain conditions and adhere to specific rules of conduct while in
the community. Failure to comply with any of the conditions can result in a return to
incarceration.
Probation refers to adult offenders whom courts place on supervision in the community
through a probation agency, generally in lieu of incarceration. However, some jurisdictions
do sentence probationers to a combined short-term incarceration sentence immediately
followed by probation, which is referred to as a split sentence. Probations can have a
number of different supervision statuses including active supervision, which means they are
required to regularly report to a probation authority in person, by mail, or by telephone.
Some probationers may be on an inactive status which means they are excluded from
regularly reporting, and that could be due to a number of reasons. For instance, some
probationers may be placed on inactive status immediately because the severity of the
offense was minimal or some may receive a reduction in supervision and therefore may be
moved from an active to inactive status. Other supervision statuses include probationers
who only have financial conditions remaining, have absconded, or who have active
warrants. In many instances, while on probation, offenders are required to fulfil certain
conditions of their supervision (e.g., payment of fines, fees or court costs, participation in
treatment programs) and adhere to specific rules of conduct while in the community.
Failure to comply with any conditions can result in incarceration.

By-
Shikha Sharma