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Revenue from prison products
October 21 , 2025
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- Tamil Nadu has topped the country in earning income from prison product sales.
- The State has reported the highest gross value of sale proceeds.
- While Tamil Nadu led the country in profitable prison business, other States closely following were Telangana and Kerala with ₹55.71 crore and ₹24.44 crore respectively in 2023.
- Going by National Crime Records Bureau data, the value of goods produced per inmate was the highest in Telangana, with ₹95,187, followed by Tamil Nadu (₹33,984) and Chandigarh (₹32,325).
- Prisoners engaged in labour are paid a nominal wage based on their skills.
- Tamil Nadu pays ₹300 for skilled workers and ₹270 for semi-skilled workers per day.
- As part of the reformation and rehabilitation programmes of the State government, the prison industry was equipped with infrastructure to make textile, leather, aluminium, wax, and paper products.
- The facility has been established at eight Central Prisons, one Special Prison for Women, and one Borstal School.
- Even as most of the prison products are purchased by government departments, the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services set up ‘Prison Bazaars’ in all Central Prison complexes to sell their in-house products to members of the public at nominal prices.
- The products, such as ready-made garments, leather shoes, rain coats, bakery items, and soaps, are sold under the brand name of ‘Freedom’.
- 20% of the profit is credited to the account of the prisoner who worked to make the product.
- The Personality Attitude Transformation Therapeutic Assistance Management (PATTAM) programme, introduced to reduce recidivism and facilitate reintegration of petty, first-time offenders (aged 18-24) into society as productive and responsible citizens, has yielded the desired results.
- Prisoners are allowed to pursue degrees/diplomas offered by the Tamil Nadu Open University and write exams at government cost.
- Tamil Nadu also tops in videoconferencing in prisons.
- Of the 1,332 prisons in the country, 1,156 have been equipped with the facility.
- The State has 126 prisons equipped with videoconferencing, followed by Madhya Pradesh (123), Rajasthan (92), Odisha (84), and Andhra Pradesh (80).
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