https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

From Dark Past, They are Stepping Out to Bright Future

Through his initiatives, IPS officer Rajeev Dasot has brought out numerous reforms to transform the lives of prisoners living in various jails of Rajasthan.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Reforms, like innovation, are continuous processes and aid in the optimal functioning of a system. IPS Rajeev Dasot is continuously working for the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners residing in the jails of Rajasthan. Whether it’s making an entire film based on their lives or bringing in new measures for their betterment, the Director-General (Prisons) of Rajasthan is doing everything in his capacity to change the mindset of society regarding these people.

His endeavors gained Rajasthan prisons number 1 position on the India Justice Report 2020 – an initiative of Tata Trusts, in collaboration with Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, etc.!

Exclusively speaking with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Dasot talked about the various changes that he brought in prisons.

IPS Rajeev Dasot’s efforts brought Rajasthan Prisons to number 1 position on India Justice Report 2020

ROAD TO REFORM

To highlight the transition of inmates departing from the prison after serving their due tenure, the Jail administration on June 28, 2021, named the road leading from Jaipur Central Jail building to the campus exit on MI Road, the ‘Road to Reform’.

“Rajasthan jail department has been working to help the inmates in giving up their criminal past and strive for a new beginning. As for those willing to change, the department supports them to acquire new livelihood skills and education while serving their sentence behind prison walls. The road is a representation of their journey to a normal crime-free life as also a message to the public to accept such reformed people,” Mr. Dasot said after unveiling the road.

The Road to Reform

NEW REFORMS FOR UPLIFTMENT

Rajasthan jail department has been persistently making efforts to redefine the role of prisons once they complete their sentence. The department recently has taken up several measures for providing skills and rehabilitating prisoners, helping them to utilize their prison tenure as an opportunity to reform. Those willing to change are offered support at various levels.

Elimination of Caste Based Work Division:

About 120 years ago, an Act was framed by the British regime, discriminating between prisoners on the basis of caste in delegating tasks such as cooking and cleaning in jail. This Act clearly mentioned that cooks in the prison shall be Brahmins or high-caste Hindu prisoners. Cleaning work was entrusted to the ‘lower caste’ inmates.

“We got the Rajasthan Prisons Rules, 1951 which were made under The Prisons Act, 1894, amended within 20 days, with the support of the Government. The state government amended The Rajasthan Prison Rules, 1951 and titled it the Rajasthan Prisons (Amendment) Rules, 2021,” Mr. Dasot told Indian Masterminds. Now such discriminations do not exists in the state jails.

Women inmates grinding spices to sell for livelihood
Premature release of prisoners:

On the occasion of Rajasthan Day, March 30th, the officer prematurely released 1,349 prisoners under section 432 CRPC, from different jails under humanitarian grounds.

“Most of the released prisoners are those who have completed 14 years in jail and have earned remission of two and a half years on the basis of their good conduct in jails,” said Mr. Dasot.

On their release, the eldest man and the eldest woman prisoner were also honored by making them inaugurate the jail’s new gate.

The eldest pair of prisoners inaugurating the new gate on their release
Covid Management:

The jail has seen zero cases of Covid-19 till now and all their prisoners and staff are fully vaccinated, thereby preventing any chance of catching the virus.

Vaccination drive for prisoners
Open Jails:

Within the last nine months, Mr. Dasot shifted 231 prisoners to ‘open jails’ – a concept wherein the prisoners do not reside in closed cells but are given 2 bhk houses by the government, where they can live with their family, breed cattle, and also go out to earn a living like a normal citizen till their curfew time (from evening to morning).

“We have over 1100 prisoners living in open jails in every Rajasthan district,” pointed out Mr Dasot.

Mr. Dasot addresses over 1000 prisoners from the panopticon
Blue Saree Reform:

Giving relief to the married women prisoners, Mr. Dasot officially got the color of the sarees worn by inmates changed to light blue from white – as white symbolizes widowhood in India.

“This brought a change in atmosphere and attitude from negative to positive. We could sense joy, zeal, and happiness in the air of women prisons,” the DGP added.

Furthermore, the officer opened a crèche for the children of inmates in the women’s prison.

Blue sarees instead of white for the women prisoners
Change in Barrack allotment:

Favoritism among the prisoners and staff brought in discrimination during the allotment of barracks. The favored ones were given the more comfortable barracks while the others were made to stay in average barracks.

To change this, Mr. Dasot initiated an alphabetical order system for allotment. “Barrack 1 has people whose names start with A,B,C,D; barrack 2 – E,F,G,H, and so on.” This move drastically prevented corruption in the jail premises.

Women participating in morning yoga
Operation Flush out:

This was the key to the success of all reforms as through this, the IPS officer conducted about 20,774 searches in 144 jails in nine months, through which they recovered 198 mobile phones being operated from jail.

“We also recovered opium, tobacco, cigarettes and other prohibited items. This helped us in zeroing in on 2% hardcore criminals in categories, whom we shifted 500 kilometers away. They did not wish to be reformed and thus, we could focus on the 98% that actually wished to develop themselves,” Mr Dasot held.

Similarly, a number of corrupt jail staff was also identified and dismissed from service.

The ones who genuinely wished to develop themselves stayed in the prison, rest were sent away to far-off jails
Petrol Pump by prisoners:

In collaboration with Indian Oil, Mr. Dasot trained 60 open-jail prisoners to operate a petrol pump and through this, they are able to earn their livelihood from 5 AM to 10 PM. This petrol pump earns over Rs one crore per year.

“The earning from the petrol pump goes to prison development board and will be used for the welfare of prisoners and infrastructure of jails,” Mr Dasot told Indian Masterminds.

Video Conferences:

Covid-19 prevented face-to-face interaction of prisoners with their families, which resulted in anxiety among many of them. To help them, Mr. Dasot allowed every inmate to talk for five minutes per week on a video call with their families.

“By 5th June, we had completed 1,00,000 video calls between prisoners and their families, and were ranked no.1 by the government.”

Video calls with family members

Mr. Dasot’s various measures for reformation are evidently bearing fruits!


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
MDL_Mazagaon_ltd
Veni Thapar Appointed as Independent Director on Board of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.
NTPC Green Energy Ltd NGEL
NGEL Gives 378MW Wind Energy Project to Suzlon Energy Ltd
Vikram Dev Dutt IAS
Coal Secy Vikram Dev Dutt Highlights Visionary RSR Model at Stakeholder Meet on Sustainable Coal Transport
ITI Limited
S. Jeyanthi Gets Extension as Director (HR) of ITI Limited - Know About Her
Punjab_govt_resized
6 IAS Officers Reshuffled in Punjab, Rajiv Prashar Made Secy, Punjab State Human Rights Commission
Orissa Minerals Development Company Limited - OMDC
Dr Sarasu T N Re-appointed as Non-Official Director on the Board of OMDC
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services (IAS)
IAS Officer Avinash Pathak Transferred from Beed Amid Controversy
NTPC
NTPC and Evren Sign PPA for 300 MW of Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr Lokesh M IAS
E-Rickshaw Chaos, Waterlogging, Traffic Mess — Can Noida Fix Its Daily Chaos? | Exclusive with Dr Lokesh M, IAS
IRS Padmapani Bora UPSC
IRS Padmapani Bora’s 16-Year-Long Journey in Governance
WhatsApp Image 2025-04-13 at 1.46
This Collector Finds Happiness In Squeaks Of Children With Hearing Impairment Who Start Hearing After Surgery
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
WhatsApp Image 2025-04-23 at 17.08
Two Births in Two Weeks: How Malavika G Nair Delivered Her Baby And Her UPSC Dreams
Just 14 days after giving birth, Malavika G Nair cradled her newborn in one arm and a UPSC answer sheet...
Komal Punia UPSC 2024 AIR 6
Komal Punia: The IPS Officer Who Pursued Her IAS Dream & Conquered UPSC With AIR 6 | Exclusive
Komal Punia, a trainee IPS officer from Saharanpur, UP, overcame challenges and self-doubt to secure...
WhatsApp Image 2025-04-22 at 21.00
AIR-11, Ettaboyina Sai Shivani: The Girl Who Quietly Dreamt, and Loudly Delivered in UPSC CSE 2024
At 24, Ettaboyina Sai Shivani from Warangal cracked UPSC 2024 with AIR 11—no coaching, no shortcuts....
Social Media
GozJlgrXYAAHoKv
Murals for Cleanliness: Thoothukudi District Launches Art-Inspired Sanitation Drive in Panchayats
Local artists add colour and messages to village walls, promoting hygiene and community pride
Himanshu Nagpal IAS
Varanasi's Beggar Rehabilitation Initiative Recognised by UIDAI, CDO Himanshu Nagpal Shares the News
Mr. Himanshu Nagpal is a 2019-batch IAS officer
IAS Vaishali Chopra
Young IAS Vaishali Chopra Takes a Stand Against Caste Bias During Field Training in Uttar Pradesh
While the issue itself may seem small, the post is resonating widely online for its honest reflection...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
MDL_Mazagaon_ltd
Veni Thapar Appointed as Independent Director on Board of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.
NTPC Green Energy Ltd NGEL
NGEL Gives 378MW Wind Energy Project to Suzlon Energy Ltd
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr Lokesh M IAS
IRS Padmapani Bora UPSC
WhatsApp Image 2025-04-13 at 1.46
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT