Prison Systems In India: An Evaluation On The Usage Of Open Prison System

Anisha. M, LL.M, The Central Law College, Salem

ABSTRACT

Mahatma Gandhi in his lifetime has always supported humanitarian over punitive treatment of inmates. Every person’s right to life and personal liberty is guaranteed by Indian Constitution as a fundamental right. The concept of prison was limited to the confines of a room where the convicted person was held in order to get him far from public activity and luxury so that he may repent for the evil he had committed. Since the dawn of time, prisons have existed in India and overseas as punitive and correctional institutions. The open prison is one of the reformative concepts used by the criminal justice system to help prisoners mould themselves into law-abiding citizens. This research paper discusses the progression of the prison institution in India, the theory of punishment utilized in the prison system of India, the types of prisoners and the necessity for such categorization. The paper further focuses on open prison systems in India and how it can be implemented to better the movement of prison as a reformatory body.

Keywords: Indian Constitution, Prison, Reformative, Prisoners, Open prison.