Bhopal Jails Partner With RRU For Inmates' Mental Health

The jail department in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) to address the mental health issues of around 42,000 jail inmates.

According to Varun Kapoor, director general of prisons and correctional services, the jail department already has dedicated in-house hospitals and dispensaries to cater to the physical health of inmates, but these facilities do not address mental health issues.

Kapoor stated that the jail department only has one psychological counsellor at Bhopal Central Jail, and there is a need for psychological screening of each and every inmate.

The MoU with RRU aims to bridge this gap by providing psychological screening and care to inmates. Noorin Choudhary, director and associate professor practice at RRU's School of Behavioural Sciences and Forensic Investigations, said that a dedicated team of forensic and clinical psychologists will apply a successful model to identify inmates needing psychological care.

If psychological interventions do not resolve the mental health issues of inmates, they may be referred for specialised psychiatric mental healthcare and treatment at referral hospitals.

The partnership between the jail department and RRU is expected to benefit 42,000 inmates in various prisons and correctional centres across the state.

The jail department has 19 barracks at prisons across Madhya Pradesh, where severely mentally challenged inmates are housed. However, the need for psychological screening and care is still largely unmet.

The MoU with RRU is a step towards addressing this need and providing mental health support to inmates.

The partnership is also expected to help in the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates into society.

In conclusion, the partnership between the jail department and RRU is a significant step towards addressing the mental health issues of jail inmates in Bhopal, and it is expected to have a positive impact on the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates into society.