Psychotherapy sessions will be introduced at the Special Prison for Women in Hyderabad as part of efforts to improve the mental health and emotional resilience of women inmates, Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services Soumya Mishra said on Friday.
She made the announcement during the Prisoners’ Welfare Day programme organised at the prison on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The initiative will supplement existing correctional and rehabilitation measures, with a focus on the mental health and emotional well-being of women prisoners.
During the programme, inmates spoke about how counselling under the NIVRUTTI de-addiction initiative had helped them reflect on their actions and reconsider their lives.
According to the Prisons Department, an inmate previously involved in drug peddling said counselling had helped him understand how his actions affected his family, and that he had resolved not to return to the drug trade.
Another inmate, who had a history of theft and property-related offences, said counselling had helped him realise his mistakes and reconnect with his mother. He had asked her not to seek his bail until he completed counselling and felt ready to return to society as a changed person, the department said.
A new ambulance, sponsored by the VVS Kendram Welfare Trust, was also commissioned at the prison during the programme. It will strengthen healthcare and emergency support for women inmates.