NO STIGMA: Children of women prisoners and jail staff playing at the crèche-cum-nursery set up outside Bangalore Central Jail. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore: "Twinkle, twinkle little star" is a rhyme that is recited at most nursery schools, including the one run by the Bangalore Central Jail.

The Department of Prisons and the Department of Women and Child Welfare have established a crèche-cum-nursery outside the jail. Here, women prisoner's children aged up to six years get to mingle with others of their age.

S.T. Ramesh, Additional Deputy General of Police (Prisons), told The Hindu that at any given point of time, at least six children would be present in the jails.

"No child should grow up in the prison. It is not good for their development. Hence, we set up the crèche-cum-nursery after consulting non-governmental organisations and sociologists," he said.

Mr. Ramesh said that they had to urge the public and police personnel to send their children to the crèche-cum-nursery.

"We were able to mobilise around 25 children. An `anganawadi' worker has been appointed to teach them nursery rhymes and the Kannada and English alphabets. A woman prisoner is also sent there to take care of the children," he said. "A similar arrangement has been made in Mysore, where certain organisations have come forward to develop a park at the nursery. Every prison should have such an arrangement. The moment a child enters the prison, the arrangement should be set in motion," he said.

B.S. Abbai, Deputy Inspector General (Prisons), said that it took a while for them to convince the police personnel and public to send their children to the nursery. "Once they got to know that my son had played and studied with prisoners' children, they were a little open to the idea," he said.

At the crèche-cum-nursery, children who grow up in the prison get to interact with others of their own age. It helps in improving their social development.

"That was the main intention behind setting up the crèche. But now, we do not have children who are of the nursery-going age. Of the eight children we have, three go to the crèche every day," said M. Kariyappa, Assistant Superintendent, Bangalore Central Jail.

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