Ahmedabad: Sabarmati Central Prison to isolate crime mentors from new inmates

Ahmedabad: The Sabarmati Central Jail will introduce a system to prevent first-time offenders from coming under the influence of hardened criminals, a phenomenon that prison officials say has long contributed to repeat offending and the growth of criminal networks.Senior jail officers said the administration has conceptualised a segregation policy under which newly admitted inmates, first-time offenders, and undertrials with no significant criminal history will be housed separately from habitual offenders and prisoners involved in serious crimes.“It is often seen that a person who enters jail for the first time leaves with far greater exposure to the criminal world than when he came in,” a senior prison officer said.

“There have been instances of undertrial prisoners learning criminal tactics, establishing contacts and, after their release, remaining associated with gangs they encountered inside prison.”According to officers, the concern is not limited to individual criminal behaviour but extends to the informal networks that can develop within prison walls. Officers said prolonged interaction between first-time inmates and seasoned criminals can sometimes result in the exchange of information, recruitment into criminal groups, and the formation of new alliances.

“If a first-time offender is lodged with hardened criminals, there is always a possibility that he will meet them daily. There are various instances of gangs being nurtured inside jails,” another senior officer said. “Such inmates often find it difficult to distance themselves from the criminal ecosystem after their release.”Jail authorities said the proposed system is intended to minimise such interactions by ensuring that inmates are classified and housed according to their criminal background and risk profile.The initiative is also being viewed as part of a broader correctional approach. Senior officers said that by separating vulnerable inmates from hardened offenders, prison authorities would be better placed to focus on rehabilitation, counselling, and reform-oriented activities.“With this initiative, we want to ensure that prisons do not become places where future criminals are created,” a senior jail officer said.

“The objective is that a person who enters jail for the first time should have a genuine opportunity to reform rather than become part of a criminal network.”Officers said the system’s effectiveness will depend on proper inmate classification, infrastructure, and continuous monitoring, but expressed confidence that the measure could significantly reduce the risk of criminal influence within the prison.