Jharkhand to let select inmates work outside jail and return each evening

Jharkhand’s cabinet has authorized a pilot program allowing selected prisoners to work outside four central jails - Birsa Munda in Ranchi, Jai Prakash Narayan in Hazaribag, Ghaghidih in East Singhbhum and the facility in Dumka. Under the open or semi-open barrack model, inmates may leave the prison premises at about 6 am or 7 am, seek daily employment in nearby urban areas, and return after roughly twelve hours. The initiative, part of broader correctional reforms, is intended to generate earnings for inmates’ families and smooth their eventual societal re-entry.

A standard operating procedure will screen participants, with good behavior and rule compliance as key criteria. The policy aligns with the Jharkhand Prison and Correctional Service Act, 2025, and complies with a Supreme Court order urging states to assess the feasibility of open correctional institutions.