Advantages of open prisons

             The utilization of open prisons during post-independence era has been most spectacular, and elicited much interest among penologists because of the realization that a substantial proportion of prison inmates do not need retention in guarded prison enclosure. Instead, those who are carefully selected can be placed in open air camps, farm colonies or other outside work with a reasonable degree of safety. The obvious advantages of the open prisons as compared with the conventional prisons may be briefly stated as follows :---

1) they help in reducing overcrowding in jails.


2) The construction cost is fairly reduced.




3) the operational cost of open prisons is far less than the enclosed prisons.







4) engaging inmates of open air prisons in productive work reduces idleness and keeps them physically and mentally fit.


5) open prisons offer opportunities for self-improvement and resocialisation to the inmates.


6) the removal of prisoners from general prison to an open prison helps in conservation of natural resources and widens the scope of rehabilitative process.

                     The scheme of open jails for prisoners is essentially based on the twin system of probation and parole which have gained popularity as correctional techniques of reformation in modern penology.