25 inmates to work outside prison during the day under new rehabilitation initiative
TFP Bureau, Raipur, September 26, 2026: Chhattisgarh has opened its first Women’s Open Correctional Institution (OCI) at the Central Jail in Raipur, with the facility aimed at providing female inmates opportunities for employment and rehabilitation while allowing them to remain within the prison system.
Director General (Prisons) Himanshu Gupta inaugurated the facility on Saturday. Jail Superintendent Yogesh Singh Kshatri, Women’s Open Jail in-charge Khushbu Mishra and other officials and staff of the Prison Department were present.
The open jail has been established using the existing infrastructure at the Raipur Central Jail. Twenty-five women inmates will initially be housed at the facility.
Under the arrangement, the inmates will be permitted to leave the prison premises in the morning to undertake work and other activities and return in the evening before the scheduled lock-up.
Employment opportunities outside prison
The initiative includes provisions for inmates to work at a tailoring centre, a beauty parlour and a sales outlet for prison-made products. These facilities have been set up in a complex located near a temple outside the high prison walls.
The prison authorities also plan to provide other employment opportunities to the inmates as part of the initiative.
The open-jail model is intended to provide women inmates with work exposure and opportunities to develop skills while they remain under the supervision of the prison administration. The initiative marks the establishment of the first dedicated women’s open jail in Chhattisgarh.
