Tihar’s ‘open jail’ inmates to soon get phone access

Inmates of Tihar’s open jail will soon be able to use mobile phones, albeit, with some limitations, with the jail authorities in the process of coming up with a standard operating procedure (or SOP) for this, officials familiar with the matter said.

- Hemani Bhandari

The move is unprecedented, comes in the wake of am October directive of the Delhi high court to the authorities to come up witha plan for mobile access for open jail inmates, and is aimed to balance the need for security, with the larger objective of rehabilitating prisoners who are considered safe enough to be housed in the open jail.

Tihar’s open jail is set to complete 10 years in 2026.

‘An open jail is a correctional facility where inmates with good conduct are allowed to live with minimal supervision and work outside the prison during the day, promoting reintegration into society.

The building where inmates of the open jail reside is behind the office of the Director General but is currently under renovation.