Breaking mental barriers behind bars

By Prashant Pandey

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 3. As the sun goes down behind the high-security walls of a ward in Jail No. 5 at Tihar here, a group of 30-odd adolescents sit in neat rows lending their ears to a counsellor. These are young inmates accused of criminally assaulting minors, and the session -- first of its kind -- is an effort to sensitise them so that they do not repeat their crime once out of prison.

The unique experiment is the brainchild of the Director-General of Prisons, Mr. Ajay Aggarwal, who sought the help of Swanchetan Society for Mental Health two months ago to implement it. ``There was an urgent need to tackle the confusion in the minds of these impressionable teenagers,'' says Mr. Aggarwal.

The counselling takes place every Saturday with a group of experts from Swanchetan talking to these teenagers, most of whom come from lower socio-economic strata of society. The ice normally is broken with some general questions which, as the session progresses, become more pointed and personalised. Once a level of understanding is reached and the inmates accept the counsellor as ``someone speaking their language'', they start talking about their doubts and the myths that drive them to such acts.

Indeed, it is the first step that is difficult. The boys have to be made ``game'' enough to talk about their confusions and their inadequate understanding of sexuality. The interaction then becomes more direct.``Talking about one's sexuality is still quite taboo and breaking the shell requires direct dealing,'' says Dr. Rajat Mitra of Swanchetan who conducts these sessions.

To ensure that the sessions are not missed by the inmates, they are asked to participate in ``Art of Living'' classes which give them the spiritual back-up -- ``something essential for any behavioural change.''

The eight sessions held so far have provided some insights into these adolescents' psyche. Only a small percentage of these inmates repent what they did. ``They probably committed the act in a state of high libido, driven by circumstances of physical proximity. The situation is akin to the temptation of whistling when a woman is around. One forgets that it would hurt her sensibilities,'' says Dr. Mitra.

Most of them, however, find it difficult to accept that they were at fault. As repentance and confusion coexist, the counselling helps them identify and handle their sexuality properly. New insights unfold and the boys hopefully learn to realise what is good for them and what is not.

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