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Writer's pictureNitul

Jail tourism: A tale of two jails & how you can experience prison life without even getting caught

Updated: Jul 28, 2020

With time, the culture and trends of travelling have changed. Jail tourism is the new concept that has been added to the travelling sector. A concept that has been introduced in an Indian jail will surely be the most adventurous and memorable experience for the travellers. Tourism market in India is targeted to reach $50 billion by 2022. Such a big market with an increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting India every year as well as the home of the youngest population on earth, the tourism Industry in India has a high chance to see a rapid growth in coming years.



Jail, a place where nobody would ever want to go by their own choice during their lifetime is now getting attention from tourists from all over the world. More and more tourists are heading towards the famous prisons of the country to capture their mysteries and history. Cellular Jail and Viper jail are amongst the Jails in India tourists are showing their interests in. However these jails are open for tourists for sightseeing only. There is a Jail in India where you can experience the life of a prisoner staying inside a cell for 24 hours. A unique experience the modern adventure seeking nomads will surely never want to miss.

The travelling scene has been changed a lot in recent years. Travelling, a leisure time luxury earlier has been turned into a profession and hobby now. A modern traveller travels for exploring new places, trying new things and to feel the adventure and thrill during the journey. Modern millennials are now inclined more towards offbeat careers than a typical nine to five. 

Love for adventure and thrill leads the modern nomads towards trying new things. The addition of ‘Jail tourism’, ‘Jail hotels’ and ‘Jail exploration’ in the travel industry will surely be beneficial for the Government to earn some revenue as well as for the tourists to get an experience of lifetime adventure.

Two very unique Jails in India have opted for the Jail tourism concept so far:

1.Sangareddy Jail: In the state of Telengana, this 220 years old colonial era Jail contains a lot of histories from the british era of India. One day, new Jail director Vinay kumar singh came up with a very unique idea to convert the historical monument of the Jail into a heritage Jail and museum. With the approval of the government, this Jail is now open for tourists under 'Feel the Jail' initiative of the government of Telangana. Visitors now can stay a night at this colonial era Jail to have a prison experience by just spending 500 bucks. Tourists can rent a cell in this old colonial Sangareddy jail to have an experience of how the life was of a prisoner in colonial times. A uniform, a steel mug, basic bedding and a soap will be provided to the person opting for the 'Feel the Jail' scheme.The food served to the tourists will be similar to that used to be served to the real prisoners. As per the officials of the Jail, this initiative will demotivate people from doing crime. 


Credit: The Hindu

2. Tihar jail: Following the sangareddy jail, Tihar jail also has come up with the idea of ‘Feel the jail’ initiative. Tihar, the largest jail in South east Asia, a home of the most notorious criminals of the country will soon open its gates for tourists. Five to six new rooms with attached toilets and bathrooms have been constructed within the prison compound. However these cells will be separated from the real prisoners via a high prison wall. Tourists who will opt for the prison experience will be locked up in one of the cells after paying the submission fees. They will be given prison clothes to wear and will have to sleep on the prison floor. For more authentic jail experience, they will be given Jail food and will be assigned to work similar to real prisoners  outside their cells. Tasks like grinding wheat and the other tasks similar to the real prisoners will be assigned to the tourists opting for this ‘Feel the jail’ scheme. 


Credit: The Times Of India

Conclusion: For those travellers who always look for unique kind of adventures, this 'Feel the Jail' initiative will be a great option to try for during their stay in India.

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