Haryana Jails Get a New Lease of Life: CJI Surya Kant Unveils Skill Development, Polytechnic Courses

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Gurugram, Haryana - In a significant step towards reformative justice, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant launched skill development centres, polytechnic diploma courses, and ITI-level vocational programmes in various jails across Haryana on Saturday. The initiatives aim to reshape the correctional ecosystem through structured education and skill development, ultimately paving the way for the reintegration of inmates into society. The project, 'Empowering Lives Behind Bars, Real Change: The New Paradigm of Correctional Justice,' was unveiled at the district prison Bhondsi in Gurugram. The CJI emphasized the importance of providing inmates with the necessary support to reintegrate into society, highlighting that without guidance, many individuals are pulled back into a cycle of marginalization and conflict with the law. The CJI also launched a month-long statewide anti-drug awareness campaign across Punjab, Haryana, and the Union Territory Chandigarh, aimed at countering the growing challenge of substance abuse in the state. The campaign is a vital initiative, according to the CJI, who emphasized the need for a planned and systematic reintegration process. Under the polytechnic and skill development programmes, inmates will have access to a wide range of vocational and technical education, including ITI courses and a three-year polytechnic diploma in computer engineering. The CJI urged for the establishment of district-level reintegration boards, comprising probation officers, employers, civil society representatives, and mental health professionals, to ensure that each release is accompanied by a concrete and actionable path forward. The CJI also emphasized the need for psychological rehabilitation to be strengthened alongside vocational training, stating that trauma-informed counselling, addiction treatment, and emotional regulation programmes must become routine features of correctional life. The anti-drugs campaign launched by the Legal Services Authorities is a commendable initiative, according to the CJI, who stressed the importance of human rights prevailing over punitive impulses in correctional justice.