Want to spend a night in jail? Chanchalguda prison now lets you in

Hyderabad: What is life really like behind bars? Rows of iron-grilled barracks, high-security cells and dark enclosures — Hyderabad residents can now experience a slice of it at Chanchalguda Central Jail. What was once inaccessible to the public has now been opened through “Jail Anubhavam” (Feel the Jail), a new initiative launched on Tuesday by the State Institute of Correctional Administration (SICA), offering people a first-hand glimpse into life inside a prison.

The programme allows visitors to stay inside specially designed prison-style barracks featuring iron-grilled cells, beds with navy-blue sheets, earthen pots for drinking water and sparse prison-like interiors. With regulated routines and jail-style food, the experience recreates the restricted atmosphere of prison life. A 12-hour stay from 6 pm to 6 am costs Rs 1,000, while a 24-hour stay is priced at Rs 2,000.

The facility includes different types of prison rooms for men, including high-security and dark barracks, along with a separate section for women inmates equipped with embroidery machines. The high-security enclosure, shielded behind two layers of thick iron grills, offers a more isolated environment compared to regular barracks.

Alongside the experience centre, prison authorities also inaugurated the Telangana Jail Museum, which traces the history of the prison system and the role of inmates in public works and prison industries over the decades.

Museum entry has been fixed at Rs 10 for students and Rs 20 for general visitors, while children below 10 years can enter free of cost.

The museum houses prison records, artefacts and old equipment once used in jail workshops, including yarn-spinning and winding wheels, manual stitching machines, grain-grinding equipment and mechanical weighing machines. Paintings and products made by prisoners are also on display.

One of the key highlights of the museum is the documentation of prisoner labour in large-scale public projects. According to prison officials, inmates from Chanchalguda Jail contributed to the construction of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam in 1968.

Telangana governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, while inaugurating the museum, said the initiative reflected how prisons in India had gradually evolved from punishment-oriented spaces into correctional institutions focused on reform and rehabilitation.

Director general of prisons Soumya Mishra said the programme was designed particularly for students and younger generations to develop empathy, discipline and a better understanding of prison life.