The Special Prison for Women in Hyderabad will introduce psychotherapy sessions for inmates, while a newly procured ambulance will strengthen medical and emergency assistance at the facility, the Telangana Prisons Department announced at an event held at Chanchalguda Jail.
Director General of Prisons Dr Soumya Mishra made the announcement during a programme marking Gandhi Jayanti. State-level events were held at the Special Prison for Women, located within the Central Prison complex in Hyderabad.
The proposed psychotherapy sessions are intended to support the mental well-being and emotional resilience of women serving sentences. The announcement did not specify when the sessions will begin, how frequently they will be held or the number of inmates who will be covered.
Inmates attending the programme spoke about the impact of counselling on their personal lives. One woman, who said she had previously been involved in the drug trade, described the sessions as helping her understand the effect of her actions on her family.
The programme also included the flagging off of a new ambulance for the women’s prison. The vehicle was procured with support from the Sri VVS Kendra Welfare Trust and is expected to strengthen access to medical services and emergency assistance for inmates. Details about the ambulance’s staffing, operating arrangements and referral facilities were not provided in the announcement.
The event brought together officials from the prisons, health, finance and legal-services systems. Dr Gaurav Uppal, secretary for finance and planning; Dr B. Ravindra Naik, director of public health; and A. Sridevi of the Hyderabad District Legal Services Authority participated in the programme.
Prisons IG N. Murali Babu, DIG Dr D. Srinivas, superintendents N. Sivakumar Goud and T. Venkata Lakshmi Srinath, and deputy superintendents V. Sashikanth, S. Vijay Kumar and B. Amaravathi were also present.
The announcement places mental-health support and emergency medical access alongside prison administration at the women’s facility. The department’s next operational steps will determine the rollout of the psychotherapy programme and how the new ambulance is integrated into medical assistance for inmates.
