Inmates go gaga with Telephones in Madhya Pradesh Jails
- 100 new phones introduced
- Usage more than double
- Research included 8 major jails of MP
Telephones are now the only hope and the window of communication for inmates lodged in the jails of Madhya Pradesh. Due to the existing Covid-19 threat resulting in lockdown, visitations have been stopped in all jails across India. The only way of connecting with the outside world available to inmates is through telephones and they are finding relief through this technology.
The analysis selected 8 jails of Madhya Pradesh, namely Jabalpur (Central Jail), Indore (Central Jail), Sagar (Central Jail), Ujjain (Central Jail), Bhopal (Central Jail), Gwalior (Central Jail), Hoshangabad (Central Jail) and Indore (District Jail). All these 8 jails are representative jails of Madhya Pradesh, the second largest state in India in area and fifth largest in terms of population.
These are among the largest jails of MP, include women inmates and are over-crowded too. Analysis included the entire prison population of these jails, a sum total of nearly 15,698 inmates, including 14955 males and 743 female inmates.
This analysis is conducted by Vartika Nanda, the founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation in collaboration with Madhya Pradesh Prison Department. Tinka Tinka Foundation is working towards prison reforms in India. Analysis has been in collaboration with Madhya Pradesh Prison Department. A unique coffee table book on prisons, Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh, had made news in 2018.
This analysis has revealed that the number of phone calls made has increased almost two times in the post lockdown period over the pre lockdown days in all the jails.
According to Shri Sanjay Chowdhary, DG, Prisons and Correctional Reforms, Madhya Pradesh, “these phone call facilities are free. We are also number one in releasing prisoners on parole we a are proactive to control the spread of virus in our prisons.”
Central Jail of Bhopal recorded an average of 390 calls by male inmates and 28 calls by women inmates before lockdown, and increased to 600 calls by male inmates and 48 calls female inmates after lockdown. Central Jails of Gwalior and Jabalpur have recorded the highest increase in number of phone calls per day; increasing from 350 to 640, and from 212 to 451 respectively. This included 25 and 20 calls made by women in the pre lockdown period in both these jails, and 40 and 28 respectively in the post lockdown period.
The total number of landlines is 73 and the total number of mobile phones is 34 across all the jails. The phone density in the jails ranges from 231 inmates per phone in Jabalpur Central Jail to 111 inmates per phone in Ujjain Central Jail. Usage permission durations has been doubled during this period from 3 hrs to 6 hrs on a daily basis.
Madhya Pradesh Prison Department is perhaps only state in India to allow inmates to receive outward calls.
Media Coverage
During the present COVID-19 crisis, Tinka Tinka has covered a number of jails across India in its Tinka Jail News segment. The stories that I have seen on the YouTube channel began with covering jails in Rajasthan, then it covered the Agra Central Jail, jail in Madhya Pradesh, Montage, then it progressed to report about the four jails of Mau, Hamirpur, Meerut and Pilibhit it then covered the jail of Haldwani, Uttarakhand, the jail in Maharashtra, the jail in Chandigarh, Sonbhadra jail, jail in Hoshiarpur, Punjab and the latest news was centred around jails in Kerala. Strangely, all these prisons that are engaged in making masks and sanitisers, for themselves, for the government and private authorities, haven’t been appreciated enought by most of the mediahouses. The role of media is crucial, it happens to be the forth pillar of a democracy, it is responsible for spreading awareness among the general public. They ought to report news that may help the society progress, they ought to appreciate worthy enough individuals irrespective of where they come from. They can facilitate in bridging the gap between the society and prisons. But alas! All they seem to care about is their TRP gains.
#vartikananda #tinkatinka #jail #prison
Tinka Tinka has been constantly working towards prison reforms and in since last few years they have really managed to bring a lot of stories to the common people. The reforms done by Tinka Tinka is something very less people know about and even very less people have attempted it. The stories about prison inmates from Tinka Tinka book series Tinka Tinka Tihar, Tinka Tinka Dasna and Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh has its own feel. #tinkatinka #vartikananda #jail
COVID-2019 has affected us all in various ways and it’s not going away soon. Taking care of ourselves, putting on masks, and keeping social distancing are the key factors you can follow. In such horrible times, these inmates are helping us with sewing masks, and making sanitizers is appreciable work. I hope people see their appreciable work and don’t judge inmates. And Vartika Nanda and Tinka Tinka are doing great work as being a bridge between these two worlds and giving us this information.
#Vartikananda #tinkatinka
Just a couple month of quarantine which didn’t let us step out of our house which caused a lot of damage around peoples lives . Then only one can imagine the plight that the inmates go through every single day . Salute to tinka tinka foundation and jail news media to have brought out the unknown in to the eyes of the society. The work of the incarcerated helps people on the outside, and it also provides them with work and new skills. #vartikananda #tinkatinka #prisonreforms #humanrights #jails.
Vartika Nanda ma’am, it goes unsaid too much, but we really appreciate how you are consistently so warm, and helpful to our prisoners. You have been an inspiration for the youth generation.
Tinka Tinka foundation have changed the lifes of prisoners as well as the perspectives of society. In this corona outbreak of compassion, where the whole world is stalled. The visitor’s entry was also closed to prevent direct contact. There were some inmates who never came to meet their family. Telephonic service installed in many prisons to overcome their loneliness and becomes the only means of communication.
Jail news is one of the initiative by Tinka Tinka foundation for the betterment for prisoner and reconcile the issue.
In this critical situation prisoners has been helping hands of our nation. They have prepared masks, sanitizers, face shield, PPE kits and gown for the COVID-19 warriors. We honour their participation.
#vartikananda
#jailmovement
#prisonreform
#tinkatinkamovement
#jail
In times of COVID-19,the entire world reeled in the losses of their loved ones as well as monetary losses. We complained about having to sit at home and not being able to meet our near and dear ones, about having lost out on the opportunities of vacationing and some people even complained about things as ridiculous as their right to not wear a mask because of the inconvenience caused by them. We seldom stop to think about people who have been living in a situation similar to, or rather much worse than the lockdown, people who have, for the better part of their lives, met with their loved ones only so often, who have to wait for visiting hours to see the faces of their children,parents,and spouses – Inmates of a jail. It is truly commendable that MP Jail has allowed the inmates the facility of calling to stay connected with their families in such times. Tinka Tinka prison reforms movement’s efforts in bringing to light the plight of these inmates via the book, Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh, via this website,and their social platforms has been imperative in reminding us the how trivial our issues are. #tinkatinks #prisonreforms #vartikananda #Madhyapradesh #madhyapradeshjail #Jailsofindia
Tinka Tinka has revolutionized the prison institution of our country. The use of communication as a tool for change is novel and also much-needed. The research analysis taken up by Dr. Vartika Nanda has allowed the issues of prison to come into the mainstream light which we don’t see in regular reportage by media. Also, the statistics presented in this article are concise and clear. This article is a vital source for understanding the telecommunication system of jails.
#vartikananda #prisonreforms #tinkatinka