Feel like a prisoner

Have you ever wanted to find out what life in prison is like?

If you have, and that too without breaking any law, you might find this useful.

The authorities of the now vacated Dhaka Central Jail on Nazimuddin Road is thinking about giving people the “opportunity” to have a taste of life behind bars for a day or two for a nominal fee.

“Many of the common people love adventure. Sometimes, many might think how it feels to stay in jail. We can give them the opportunity to have that feeling,” Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin said at a press conference at the jail building yesterday.

 Asked, he said it was just “at the level of an idea” and it might take at least three years to turn it into a reality.

There are many countries in the world, including India and the Philippines, that are letting people experience prison life, he added.

The prison authorities organised yesterday's conference to brief about a photo exhibition to be held at the 200-year-old jail on November 2-5. The jail gate would remain open from 10:00am to 5:30pm every day during the four days and a visitor would be able to stay there for maximum two hours for a Tk 100 ticket.

In July, the authorities shifted all the inmates from the jail on the Nazimuddin Road to the newly-built central jail in Keraniganj on the outskirts of the capital.

Later, the authorities said they were planning to set up a training institute, a park and a museum on the premises of the Dhaka jail that once housed so many of history's famous and infamous figures.

And now, they have talked about their idea to let people stay in there.

Contacted, Additional Inspector General of Prisons Col Iqbal Hasan told The Daily Star that the idea came to their mind after they visited an old prison in India's Hyderabad last week.

“The Hyderabad government has turned an old jail into a museum where people can stay and enjoy the lifestyle of prisoners. We are interesting in doing the same in our jail,” he said.

Col Hasan said they would set up cells after doing some repair works at the century-old building.

People while entering the jail would be stripped of their belongings and they would have to wear prisoners' uniforms. They would be given the food meant for prisoners and would not be allowed to use any cell phone, he said.

Only adults would be allowed to stay in there and they would have to fulfill some jail formalities, he said, adding that those staying in the jail would get certificates.