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Swaraj Prison University

Prison university at Udaipur.

The Swaraj Prison University is located at Udaipur Central Prison, initiated as a project by Shikshantar, Art of Living, Gandhi Ashram-Moved by Love, Edible Routes Foundation, and Navgurukul in October 2018. Through collaboration with the prison's staff and inmates, it seeks to help inmates explore themselves, be it passions, skills, self esteem, and many other valuable aspects through personalised learning programmes to their own preferences.

Background and Values

Manish Jain, co-founder of Swaraj Prison University.

An inclusive society that allows every individual, including inmates, to compete, have opportunities, potentials, and achieve excellence, requires education, including in lowering rates of reoffending. Furthermore, the concern of a more restorative ways the society could deal with criminal offenders other than banishing them away was thought by Manish Jain, the co-founder of the Shikshantar Programme. Imprisonment, he also stated, should not hinder the possibility of self-development, learning, transformation, and growth, as what Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and many other figures have experienced. He understands that the initial and essential purpose of prison could be implemented better if it would also give room for future possibilities for the inmates.

He later acquired the inspiration of an education inside prison from Prison Superintendent S.S. Shekhawat and Indiraji Talreja. Talreja had personally been in active engagement with the inmates in men's prison through yoga and mindfulness for 12 years and she was concerned of the possibility for the inmates' future after coming out of prison. The programme then began to progress with the help of Diken Patel from Gandhi Ashram-Moved by Love from five hours a day at Udaipur Central Prison through workshops and interactions with the prison's inmates and guards. It developed into conversations with the inmates about their life behind the bars and then into activities such as haircutting salon project run by the inmates themselves with professional equipment.

It is then referred to as university as it aims to build a holistic university to allow inmates find their own way of learning through Self-Designed Learning (SDL). SDL gives inmates the ability to be in control of what they learn and how they learn in. The Prison University prioritises practical learning over theories, sharing, collaboration with peers, going beyond a mechanical but into supportive emotional space. This implementation of SDL into the programme allows it to help the inmates develop subjectively with what they brought in along with themselves, instead of just following a formal, robotic process that has failed the inmates initially or even failed them during their time spent in the prison.

Programme Practices

The prison university is equipped with a computer and a music group that practices daily. Inmates are also encouraged to take part in workshops which interest them, spanning from photography, arts and illustrations, storytelling, to support circles and even land management for organic farming. The programme also put attention to the inmates' physical and spiritual wellbeing and development through yoga and meditation trainings. All of these programmes are intended to ensure that the inmates are able to positively sustain themselves in the society after being released by providing them with bases to 'build upon'.

Computer and Digital Practices

Within the computer and digital practices, the inmates are trained web-designing as well as multimedia designing and filmmaking.

Music Practice

Manish Jain, the co-founder of the programme, referred to music as an "important part of this programme" and claimed to be spiritually restorative and awakening. Swaraj Jail University therefore is well-known for its move in inmates development through music, both within the prison and public spheres.

The prison is equipped with basic music production facilities but has been expanding through the help of prison authorities and external figures as inmates grow more interest in music. The programme also encourages inmates to explore various kinds of music through inviting professional and named musicians to visit and teach the inmates.

Out of Box Jail University Band, performing at the Udaipur World Music Festival in 2020.

Because of the strong movement in music, the development has been progressing well enough to form a Sufi music band called "Out of Box", which was a crowd favourite during the Udaipur World Music Festival in February through their performance for the opening with a song titled, "Vasudahiva Kutumbakam", a song composed by the prison's inmate with the help of musician Parameshwar Bhai. Furthermore, the 32-man band has become popular enough to start providing entrepreneurial service outside of prison.

Land Management and Agriculture Practices

Land development and agriculture learning in Swaraj Jail University.

As of 2020, the programme have nearly 30 inmate students taking part in learning organic farming. Assisted by the Edible Routes Foundation, the inmates are taught organic farming techniques such as the Japanese Miyawaki technique, and provided with film screenings, workshops, and on-ground training as their learning methods.

Wellbeing Development Practices

The Prison University provided wellbeing development practices through Art of Living Programme, which teaches inmates about yoga and meditation. The programme has been impactful enough to help Rajesh Singh, an inmate who had been released after 14-years of prison time, in teaching yoga and meditation in his village in Hayana.

References

A. DRAFT

Swaraj Prison University

Prison university at Udaipur.

The Swaraj Prison University is located at Udaipur Central Prison, initiated as a project by Shikshantar, Art of Living, Gandhi Ashram-Moved by Love, Edible Routes Foundation, and Navgurukul in October 2018. Through collaboration with the prison's staff and inmates, it seeks to help inmates explore themselves, be it passions, skills, self esteem, and many other valuable aspects through personalised learning programmes to their own preferences.

Background and Values

An inclusive society that allows every individual, including inmates, to compete, have opportunities, potentials, and achieve excellence, requires education, including in lowering rates of reoffending. Furthermore, the concern of a more restorative ways the society could deal with criminal offenders other than banishing them away was thought by Manish Jain, the co-founder of the Shikshantar Programme. Imprisonment, he also stated, should not hinder the possibility of self-development, learning, transformation, and growth, as what Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and many other figures have experienced. He understands that the initial and essential purpose of prison could be implemented better if it would also give room for future possibilities for the inmates.

He later acquired the inspiration of an education inside prison from Prison Superintendent S.S. Shekhawat and Indiraji Talreja. Talreja had personally been in active engagement with the inmates in men's prison through yoga and mindfulness for 12 years and she was concerned of the possibility for the inmates' future after coming out of prison. The programme then began to progress with the help of Diken Patel from Gandhi Ashram-Moved by Love from five hours a day at Udaipur Central Prison through workshops and interactions with the prison's inmates and guards. It developed into conversations with the inmates about their life behind the bars and then into activities such as haircutting salon project run by the inmates themselves with professional equipment.

It is then referred to as university as it aims to build a holistic university to allow inmates find their own way of learning through Self-Designed Learning (SDL). SDL gives inmates the ability to be in control of what they learn and how they learn in. The Prison University prioritises practical learning over theories, sharing, collaboration with peers, going beyond a mechanical but into supportive emotional space. This implementation of SDL into the programme allows it to help the inmates develop subjectively with what they brought in along with themselves, instead of just following a formal, robotic process that has failed the inmates initially or even failed them during their time spent in the prison.

B. PEER REVIEW (BY OTHERS)

Lead section

• Good first paragraph outlining what it is, but maybe switch around the location with what it actually is, just to be clearer on the entire article.
• Doesn’t summarise everything stated in article
• Does provide good context about what the Swaraj Prison university is

Article

• Only one section - more should be added
• Good understanding shown of the background but more information surrounding the subject should be added to show further understanding of the topic
• Could have background and values as two separate sections to allow easier navigation of the article
• Good use of relatively simple English to write for the audience - maybe phrase some of the sentences in a different order to make them easier to understand though
• Good use of neutral language explaining the prison university with no overpowering points of view
• The image used is very useful as it shows what part of the prison would look like inside - this helps the reader to understand what is meant by what is said in the article
• Some wiki links should be added

References

• Good referencing throughout the article
• References all look completed
• A range of 4 different sources - 2 from the same website - give good information and insight about the topic (a few more for other sections of the article may be useful)
• Should add an external links section to give the reader something to follow onto for more information

C. TOPIC PARAGRAPH AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Swaraj Prison University is unusually intriguing for me, which is the main reason I picked this topic in the first place. The combination of the word "prison" and "university" is quite unheard of. I have personally read, seen, visited, and 'experienced' prisons which enforced their restorative values through giving the inmates chance at improving self, but never something as pointed, specific and clear as "prison university". The phrase itself indicates that the punitive criminal justice institution gives a significant focus on education, although not in the most formal way, which is rather radical, in contrast to what prisons are usually understood and like at the moment.

Annotated bibliography:

1. "Swaraj Jail University, Udaipur - An Introduction"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW36Px7eUxs

This is Jail University programme's introductory video, which provides a light yet clear explanation of the programme. This will support the article in providing basic information of the Jail University programme.

2. "Re-imagining Higher Education in the Jail: Interview with Manish Jain, co-founder Shikshantar." By Lena Hoplamazian.

https://shikshantar.org/innovations-shiksha/jail-university/reimagining-higher-education-jail-interview-manish-jain

This is an interview published on Shikshantar website. This interview was done with Shikshantar's co-founder as the interviewee. Like the source above, it is a crucial one in strengthening the practical basis of this programme for this Wikipedia article.

3. "Time to Learn: Prisoners' Views on Prison Education." By Julia Braggins and Jenny Talbot in 2003.

http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Time_to_LearnBook.pdf

In order to encourage a target-specific policy improvements, studies supporting the improvements should focus on the policies' target's individual experience. This source is a study done in early 2000s regarding how prisoners' view their education needs. This will be an immensely resourceful source for me in exploring how education impacts the prisoners as individuals, which shall help in determining the benefits of prison university in Swaraj as a restorative programme.

4. "Learning Together: Localism, Collaboration and Reflexivity in the Development of Prison and University Learning Communities." By Amy Ludlow, Ruth Armstrong and Lorana Bartles in 2019.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1226778.pdf

This is an article based on the experiences in the UK and Australia regarding to criminal justice and higher education partnerships. This source will help to provide light theoretical bases to this article, which will then help to explore that side of Swaraj Jail University. This article also mentions some bits of international contribution in this particular topic.

5. Prison Statistics in India 2019 by National Crime Record Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

https://ncrb.gov.in/sites/default/files/PSI-2019-27-08-2020.pdf

This document provides prison statistics of India in 2019. This will give a data-based and relevant illustration of the state of imprisonment in India, which will further highlight the reason behind the existence of Swaraj Prison University itself.