From Alcatraz in San Franscisco to Cellular Jail in Andamans, jail tourism has often attracted curious tourists keen on a taste of history. However, the trend has been picking up across the globe and now Maharashtra home department plans to throw open its jails to the common public as well. According to reports, officials in the department are working on a ‘jail tourism policy’ which will allow access to certain jails ‘with some history’ in the state by common people.
According to the reports, prisons like Yerawada will be hit with the public as leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Veer Sawarkar have been housed there during the freedom struggle. And most recently Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt too was imprisoned there. The architecture of the jails, which are made in such a way that from one point in the centre of the jail one can keep a watch on the entire jail also known as the pan-option design, can be a point of interest for visitors, officials have said. Filmmakers too can use this opportunity to show the real interiors of the jails.
Officials said tourists would get the real feel of a prison and would also be told about the routine of a prisoner. Among other jails, officials speculate Arthur Road jail could to be a popular spot as well since people might want to see where the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab stayed. Among other states, Telangana has also recently announced such a policy.
We speak to eminent citizens on whether jail tourism is an ethical practice and what attracts tourists to such places.
Gulam Rabbani, human rights advocate
‘This entire concept seems unethical to me’
Prisoners are serving their imprisonment inside the jail. Allowing commoners inside might lead to security breach. I hope the officials will take into consideration every possibility and plan things accordingly. The officials also need to draw a plan as to which areas the tourism plan will cover. Sure, jails have a very mysterious vibe to them, and people are curious about what living in a jail must feel like, but this entire concept seems unethical to me.
Sorabh Pant, Stand-Up Comic
‘I think it is a bizarre practice’
I wonder what the purpose behind jail tourism is and whether they are doing it just for money. The point here is unlike a normal monument, one won’t go around to see people rotting in a jail and say, ‘Hey, I went to a jail!’ It’s not like they are going to see Taj Mahal. The major quandary here is the ethical dilemma associated with the whole idea. I have been to abandoned jails in South Africa and New Zealand, but it’s more like a tourism thing where a tour guide tells you about the history of the place. It’s been a prevalent practice across but one also needs to keep the safety aspect in mind as well. If something of this sort starts in India I’ll be the first one to buy the tickets and see what is happening inside. I think it is a bizarre practice to have inmates inside a cell and even then continue with the tourism inside.
K. Anil Kumar, the Superintendent of Kozhikode District jail
‘Privacy should not be invaded’
I think the concept of jail tourism has both positive aspects as well as disadvantages. The positive aspect is that there would be a certain transparency in the jail administration. The second major advantages is the opportunity given to the public to see first hand the various prison industry initiatives done by the prisoners like organic farming, small scale industry products and animal husbandry. The negative point is that the jail is not a tourist destination. The privacy of the prisoners should not be invaded in any way. I had visited a jail in Harayana and what I noticed was that the public are taken through a different route without entering the prisoner enclaves. That would be a good model to emulate. I had also mooted the idea of implementing a jail museum but that did not take off. In Kerala, the food made by the jail inmates is very popular so the idea of a day at the jail with accompanying food prepared by the jail inmates is a workable idea provided the security and prisoner privacy is taken care of.
Anil Dharker, columnist
‘Common man sure would want to visit’
Jail tourism entirely depends if the jail has any historic value. The common man sure would want to visit the jail out of curiosity — we have never seen a jail and whatever idea we have, is mostly through movies. However, I think the phrase ‘jail tourism’ has a negative connotation. It somehow seems more voyeuristic where one goes inside the jail to see the inmates like in a zoo. But the idea behind is more like visiting a building with history involved. I don’t know which ones will be open to public, but I believe the ones where Gandhi had stayed and such; which is okay.
