CJI launches landmark correctional justice drive at Bhondsi jail

Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Saturday launched a major national-level correctional justice initiative under the banner “Empowering Lives Behind Bars — Real Change: The New Paradigm of Correctional Justice”, marking a historic shift in India’s approach to prison reform. The programme was inaugurated at District Jail Bhondsi, Gurugram, where skill development centres, polytechnic diploma courses and ITI-level vocational programmes were rolled out across Haryana prisons.

At the same event, the CJI also launched a month-long anti-drug awareness campaign across Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh.

Several dignitaries attended, including Supreme Court Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Rajesh Bindal and Augustine George Masih, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Sheel Nagu, High Court judges and senior officials involved in prison reforms.

Calling imprisonment an opportunity for transformation, the CJI said jail time “is not just confinement but an opportunity to make a comeback.” He added: “I prefer to call them reform homes, not prisons. Lacking structured systems of education, skills, psychological support and rehabilitation, prisons can inadvertently deepen deprivations. Today’s correctional justice system demands a planned, collective and human-centred strategy to prevent recidivism.”

Justice Surya Kant said rehabilitation must move beyond hope to a structured strategy. He proposed district-level rehabilitation boards comprising probation officers, industry representatives, social organisations and mental health experts to create individualised release plans.

Highlighting the vulnerabilities of migrant workers, he said their problems are “circumstantial, not criminal,” calling for simplified bail procedures, multilingual legal aid and better documentation support.

He stressed the need to combine psychological counselling with vocational skills: “Skills provide opportunities, but psychological stability empowers individuals to move forward.”

The CJI urged industry to partner with prisons in offering apprenticeships and employment. He also cited an innovative UK model, developed with a Bengaluru software firm, where offenders live at home wearing monitoring devices — balancing security with humane reforms and helping them retain family ties and income.