Dr. Charu WaliKhanna, Member, NCW inspected Gwalior Central Jail. The Jail has 2322 inmates out of which 87 are females. Among the female inmates 31 have been convicted and are undergoing sentence, while 56 are under trials. Almost 50% of the inmates are in Jail for having committed offences relating to murder, and a number of inmates are accompanied by their children/grand children. She observed the following:- 

Child Care: Since there is no dedicated space for children or Aanganwadi Centre in the jail, it has been recommended to make available a child-friendly space for childcare and age-appropriate equipment, education and activities for children of inmates. Also to include local school children in a community program where they visit the jail and interact with the children inside jail. 

Problems of Women Inmates with Mental Health Problems: There are increasing number of women inmates in Central Jail Gwalior suffering from serious mental health problems. Notable is the case of a young girl who is an under trial in a case under Section 302 IPC wherein she is alleged to have murdered her own baby but has no memory of the same. Such inmates tend to experience difficulties negotiating the prison environment. They create all sorts of predicaments for other inmates and often instigate crisis situations that present pressing challenges to the jail authorities, like the incident where a mentally ill female inmate hit the male child of another inmate, resulting in his death. Despite this there is NO alternative setting for female inmates with severe behavior disorders and housing of violence-prone inmates in close proximity to other women tends to generate the high levels of tension between the individuals. Some mentally ill women vacillate between self-harm and violence, in other words they are often dangerous to themselves or to others. Hence it is essential to provide quality mental health services for women in criminal justice system overcoming systemic barriers. 

Lack of Knowledge on Mental Health Issues: The criminal justice is based on “care, custody, and control” and not designed for the provision of mental health services. Mental illness is exceedingly complicated, and little is known about causes and cures. Hence, in-depth study/research is required taking into consideration factors such as the female inmate having experienced trauma/ being abused as a child; family criminal history, risky home environments; domestic violence, history of sexual assault etc. 

Gender – responsive approach : To address the mental health needs of women offenders it is important programmes be designed involving a gender- responsive approach that includes comprehensive services that take into account the content and context of women’s lives; and sensitivity to women’s needs.

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