Ahmedabad: Sabarmati jail trains staff to spot mental distress as overcrowding fuels tensions

Gandhinagar: Overcrowding and recurring clashes among inmates have emerged as big challenges inside Sabarmati Central Jail, prompting the prison administration to enhance the mental health preparedness of its personnel through a specialised training programme.The prison, which currently houses about 4,000 undertrial and convicted prisoners, recently organised a week-long workshop titled PRAHARI (Psychological Risk Assessment, Health Awareness and Resilience) for nearly 40 jail officers and staff members. Encouraged by the initial outcome, the administration now plans to hold more such programmes while also expanding prison infrastructure to ease overcrowding.The workshop included seven thematic modules aimed at helping prison personnel recognise and respond to psychological distress among inmates. Sessions focused on the mental health scenario in prisons, common psychological disorders during confinement, and ways to identify symptoms of depression, anxiety, psychosis, suicidal tendencies and drug-related behavioural issues through practical examples.

Other modules dealt with handling sudden aggression, withdrawal and emotional crises, besides training staff in de-escalation techniques, managing acute distress episodes, and maintaining proper documentation and reporting of incidents.“The nature of work of jail officers and staff is such that they have to deal with persons facing different levels of distress. The workshop was essential to sensitise the staff on how best to handle situations that arise during their work,” said Sabarmati jail superintendent Gaurav Agarwal.He said inmates often exhibit symptoms of depression, anxiety and even suicidal tendencies, adding that psychological distress is generally more common among undertrial prisoners than among convicts.According to Geetesh Kumar Singh, project director of Global Correctional Administration Studies at Rashtriya Raksha University, the training produced encouraging results. “There has been a significant improvement in the mental literacy of jail staff, particularly in recognising disorders and identifying risk factors.

We have recorded a 72% to 74% improvement across these areas compared to 2022. A follow-up assessment will be conducted after three months,” he said.Barracks being built to house 1,100 inmatesOfficial sources said the current inmate population of around 4,000 at the Sabarmati Central Jail has placed considerable pressure on prison facilities, with overcrowding emerging as a key factor behind frequent brawls. Most altercations inside the jail are reported to occur over food distribution. To ease the pressure, new barracks with the capacity to accommodate about 1,100 inmates are nearing completion.