Central Jail blends discipline with livelihood training

For Visakhapatnam Central Jail, the approach is straightforward: ‘teach a trade, test for quality, and pay for work.’

- USHA PERI @Visakhapatnam

Whether in a field, a workshop, or a bindery, each shift is intended to add up to something an inmate can carry forward—a habit of work and a skill that can earn.

From farming to steel furniture, bookbinding, and bakery, Visakhapatnam Central Jail is turning custody time into skills that can sustain life after release.

Between 7 and 13 acres inside the jail are under cultivation at any time, with 22 convicts rotating crops by season. Tomatoes, brinjal, okra, cucumber, and a range of leafy vegetables are grown regularly, and dragon fruit is on trial. A nursery has also been proposed to raise saplings for supply outside wherever there is demand.