Study centers to facilitate these courses are available in 10 prisons across the state.
Mumbai:
One is a convicted murderer, the other is serving a prison sentence for theft. The two are among 145 prisoners in Maharashtra who were given reduced sentences between 2019 and June 2023 for completing SSC/HSC, graduate and postgraduate programs.
Maharashtra’s prisons provide education to both probationers and convicts, but only convicts are eligible for parole upon completion of their studies. Study centers to facilitate these courses are available in 10 prisons across the state.
At these study centres, inmates can enroll in courses offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) or Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU). Inmates receive course materials and have access to a prison-appointed teacher for questions and guidance. The exams are taken in prison.
A woman recently completed a post-graduation degree while serving a murder sentence in Nagpur jail. Her husband, who was also convicted of the murder, has already been released. The degree will shorten her sentence by three months.
Nagpur Central Jail has released 61 prisoners early between 2019 and June 2023, the most of any prison in Maharashtra.
Additional Director General of Prisons Amitabh Gupta said the decision to grant this exemption was taken to encourage prisoners to pursue higher education and give them a better opportunity to reintegrate into society after their release.
