Jail inmates will now be certified technicians

Insurmountable walls will no longer keep learning out. Jails in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are set to transition into certified skill academies with the launch of a unified reform initiative on December 6 by CJI Surya Kant. As custodial spaces turn into learning centres, inmates will step out with formally recognised certificates and diplomas in market-ready trades.

The CJI will inaugurate the programmes virtually from District Jail, Gurugram, marking his first major engagement for his parent high court after assuming office.

Training will be offered in computer engineering, welding, plumbing, sewing, cosmetology, woodwork, tailoring etc. Each programme will run on national standards with certified trainers, modern workshops and hands-on practice within jail factories. A monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 and nationally recognised certification will accompany the courses, making the qualifications valid across government and private sectors.

Held under the banner “Empowering Lives Behind Bars, Real Change: The New Paradigm of Correctional Justice,” the launch will also be attended by SC judges Justices Rajesh Bindal and Augustine George Masih. Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and other judges will also be present.

Punjab’s reform plan, executed jointly by the high court, the Prisons Department and the Technical Education & Industrial Training Department, will activate 11 ITIs across 24 jails to train nearly 2,500 inmates in NCVET-certified and NSQF-aligned modules. Short-term programmes will cover mushroom cultivation, jute and bag making, computer hardware, tailoring and fabrication.

Punjab has simultaneously strengthened rehabilitation systems with petrol stations in nine jails, yoga and sports programmes, a prison calling system to maintain family contact, inmate-run radio channel Radio Ujala, and designated platforms for creative expression. The State Legal Services Authority will also launch a parallel statewide anti-drug awareness campaign, “Youth Against Drugs,” addressing addiction-linked crime patterns.

Haryana will roll out a model anchored in polytechnic diploma programmes, ITI courses and skill development centres. Its flagship is a three-year polytechnic diploma in computer engineering. The framework, guided by a committee led by Justice Kuldeep Tiwari, also emphasises counselling, skill continuity and conduct-based certification.

Haryana will additionally run a month-long anti-drug campaign led by the State Legal Services Authority under Justice Lisa Gill, involving schools, colleges, local bodies, rehabilitation centres and community groups for behavioural awareness and vigilance.