RANCHI : Some prisoners in Jharkhand could soon spend their days working outside jail before returning to their cells in the evening, under a new system being introduced at four central prisons.
The arrangement will begin at Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, Jai Prakash Narayan Central Jail in Hazaribagh, Ghaghidih Central Jail in East Singhbhum and Dumka Central Jail.
Under the system, eligible inmates could leave prison around 6 or 7 AM, take up employment outside and return after roughly 12 hours. The idea is to allow prisoners to earn an income while continuing to serve their sentences and, in some cases, help support their families.
The prison department is preparing rules to decide who can take part. Good conduct and compliance with prison regulations are expected to be important conditions. Prison authorities will also keep track of inmates working outside, with violations potentially leading to their removal from the arrangement.
The government has already identified barracks and cells at the four prisons that can be converted into open or semi-open units with inmates potentially leaving around 6–7 AM and returning in the evening after outside work.
The locations were not chosen randomly. All four prisons are in urban areas, where officials expect eligible inmates to have greater access to jobs and other work opportunities.
The move also has a legal basis. The Jharkhand Prison and Correctional Services Act, 2025 provides for open correctional institutions. The state government has subsequently approved the new arrangement through a government resolution.
The timing also follows a Supreme Court direction in February 2026 concerning open correctional facilities.
The court asked states to expand such institutions and said open or semi-open barracks could be created within existing prisons where separate open facilities were not practical.
Jharkhand’s model is not a release from prison. The inmates would remain under the prison system, with permission to work outside during specified hours and an obligation to return.
The state is yet to disclose how many prisoners will be allowed to participate in the first phase, number will depend on the eligibility criteria being finalised by the prison department.
