Ranchi, Aug 30: The Jharkhand government is set to introduce an open and semi-open correctional system that will allow selected prisoners to work outside during the day and return to prison in the evening, as part of efforts to strengthen rehabilitation and reintegration.
The initiative will initially be implemented at four central prisons: Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, Jai Prakash Narayan Central Jail in Hazaribag, Ghaghidih Central Jail in East Singhbhum and Dumka Central Jail.Prison authorities have identified existing barracks and cells at these facilities for conversion under the proposed system.
Under the new arrangement, eligible inmates may be permitted to leave prison in the early morning for employment and return after completing their work during the day.
The programme is expected to provide prisoners with an opportunity to earn an income and contribute financially to their families while continuing to serve their sentences.
Jharkhand’s Inspector General of Prisons, Sudarshan Mandal, said the location of the selected prisons near major urban areas could provide inmates with better opportunities to find work and earn a livelihood.
Authorities will prepare a Standard Operating Procedure to determine eligibility for participation in the programme. Prisoners’ behaviour, discipline and compliance with prison regulations are expected to be among the important factors considered while selecting inmates.
The proposal forms part of the state’s broader correctional reform efforts, which seek to prepare prisoners for their eventual return to society.
The initiative has received approval through a government resolution and is supported by provisions of the Jharkhand Prison and Correctional Service Act, 2025, which provides for the establishment of open correctional institutions.
The move also comes in the context of directions issued by the Supreme Court, which encouraged states to examine the feasibility of establishing open correctional facilities.
States facing difficulties in setting up separate institutions were advised to explore the possibility of creating open or semi-open facilities within existing prisons.
The proposed system is expected to promote a rehabilitation-focused approach to incarceration by giving suitable prisoners greater responsibility and an opportunity to maintain economic and social links with their families.
Officials are expected to finalise operational guidelines before the programme is implemented at the selected prisons.
