Suicide Prevention Workshop At Gurgaon Prison
Team of Humanisinglives’s went to the Gurgaon prison to facilitate a workshop on “Suicide Prevention” with prison inmates in collaboration with India Vision Foundation.
Our main goal was to provide them an experiential space to help them acknowledge that their personal journeys may be different but they all go through the same human emotions, which are moulded by their collective experience inside that prison.
In midst of the workshop, we observed that somewhere they all wanted to be heard...they all had similar stories and traumatic experiences.
Incarceration takes a serious toll on mental health for several reasons.
1.People can experience a loss of purpose when they’re locked up.
2. The loss of sense of self can be quite disorienting, confusing, and troublesome.
3. Missing their loved ones and not being part of their daily lives increases feelings of isolation and loneliness.
4. Concrete walls, little natural night, and a lack of overall stimulation can take a serious toll on mental health.
A lack of psychiatrists, psychologists and dysfunctional state machinery is contributing to worsening mental health conditions in prisons. Treating people during incarceration and providing access to mental health after they’re released may reduce recidivism rates
One-day online Workshop on the theme of ‘Mental Health Problems and Suicide Prevention in Prisons’.
Suicide is often the single most common cause of death in correctional settings. Jails, prisons and penitentiaries are responsible for protecting the health and safety of their inmate populations, and the failure to do so, can be open to legal challenge.
Therefore, The Institute of Correctional Administration
(ICA), Chandigarh conducted a one-day online Workshop on the theme of ‘Mental Health Problems and Suicide Prevention in Prisons’.
Our Assistant psychologist Sidhartha Arya took a insightful session with State Prison Officers and highlighted the issues and early signs of suicide to promote preventative measures with the aim to reduce the number of suicides in prisons.
Few take aways from workshops are as under-
The importance of winning in small task daily.
Checking our negative thoughts and examining the evidence if they are true or not.
How Information feeding results in our thoughts and then feelings and behaviour.
Importance of active listening.
How different activities in jail can improve the overall culture organically.
Thanks to Dr Upneet Lalli Deputy Director ,ICA.
Inst of Correctional Adm. for her guidance and support.
Mental & Emotional Well-being workshop at Karnal Prison
Humanising Lives conducted a workshop for women prisoners at Karnal Prison on Mental and Emotional Well-being in association with India Vision Foundation.
The session was conducted by Dr. Sushree Sahu. She is a Counselling Psychologist at Manas Ganga Clinic and Humanising Lives.
This was a cathartic session where the inmates let go of their guards and talked openly about the emotions they felt.
Many inmates had disturbed sleeping patterns, longing for their families, loss of purpose and hope.
There was a collaborative spirit amongst the inmates and they uplifted each other while filling the void of being away from their family.
The inmates were full of gratitude and are eagerly waiting for the next session.
Reproductive Health and Hygiene Workshop - Karnal Prison.
Humanising Lives conducted a workshop for women prisoners at Karnal Prison on Reproductive Heath care in collaboration with India Vision Foundation.
The session was conducted by Dr. Madhu Goel. She is Associate Director Fortis la Femme and Senior Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
It was an engaging session wherein women in the age group of 25-45 years old were made aware about basic questions surrounding reproductive health such as menstruation, regulation of vaginal discharge, self breast examination, UTI’s and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
All of the inmates shared their queries and got prompt and sufficing responses from Dr. Madhu and were grateful for the session.
Implementation of Bangkok Rules in Indian Prison System
Our founder Ekta Prakash Sharma was a guest speaker for a panel discussion on‘Bridging the Gap for Women Prisoners: Community Participation, for one-day webinar on ‘Implementation of Bangkok Rules in Indian Prison System’ on 10th December 2020 .
The webinar was for the prison officers of various states of India. Organised by Dr @upneet_lalli_ Deputy Director of The Institute of Correctional Administration, Chandigarh in association with HPNLU, Shimla..
She highlighted her work in prisons and how as a civil society she is helping women prisoners. She emphasized the mental and physical well-being of the female inmates and prison officials.
She said “Female inmates experience mental health issues at much higher rates than male inmates. Without programs that specifically target women's abusive pasts and show them what healthy relationships look like, female prisoners will risk getting trapped in a habitual revolving door of recidivism”
She also emphasized on the fact that its equally important to be considerate about the mental wellbeing of prison officers who manage the day-to-day life of offenders and work overtime in overcrowded prisons, under poor working conditions.
Other noted dignitaries on the occasion included Prof Nishtha Jaswal, Vice chancellor, HPNLU Shimla, Dr. Upneet Lalli Deputy Director-ICA, Ms. Pam Rajput, Founder Director of Centre of Women Studies & Development-Punjab University, Ms. Swati Sathe, DIG Prisons, Maharastra,Ms. Rajni Sehgal, Supdt. of Prisons, J & K , Ms. Shefali, Supdt. Madhya Pradesh and Ms Suman Maliwal, Supdt. Kota Prisons, Rajasthan.
The event saw more 155 participants including Mr. Praveen Kumar Sinha, ADGP-Punjab Prisons, Prison Officers from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal and academicians and activists.
Reintegration and Rehabilitation Programmes through Counselling
Counselling and psychological therapy have a significant role to play in addressing the complex needs of offenders, ex-offenders and other groups within the criminal justice system.
The key features of the prison environment that are likely to lead to personality change include the chronic loss of free choice, lack of privacy, daily stigma, frequent fear, need to wear a constant mask of invulnerability and emotional flatness (to avoid exploitation by others), and the requirement, day after day, to follow externally imposed stringent rules and routines. Having no space to call your own, no choice over who to be with, what to eat, or where to go. Love or even a gentle human touch can be difficult to find. You are separated from family and friends.
The longer and harsher prison sentences can mean that prisoners’ personalities will be changed in ways that make their reintegration and rehabilitation in society will be difficult.
Humanisinglives in collaboration with India Vision Foundation has been empowering those who were imprisoned. Thanks to our team of counsellors who are helping them create new stories for themselves and transition out.
