BEYOND THE BARS

 LESSON SIX

BEYOND THE BARS

The meaning of some words and phrases used in the article are given below. The number after each meaning indicates the paragraph where the word is used. Find the word and understand its meaning before you read the article as a whole. Page [59]

1. belief and trust (1)

Answer : credibility

2. shocked, greatly surprised (1)

Answer : stunned

3. tending to show sudden, unexpected changes in behavior (1)

Answer : unpredictable

4. old, experienced (1)

Answer : veteran 

5. secret (1)

Answer : confidential

6. having the right to (1)

Answer : entitled 

7. removed (2)

Answer : stripped 

8. belonging to a group of higher rank (in money, socially) (2)

Answer : elite 

9. selling goods which are useless/illegal (2)

Answer : smuggling 

10. taking money by force (2)

Answer : extorting 

11. lie/sit, stretching body in an awkward way (2)

Answer : sprawled 

12. insulting term for servant who is unnecessarily obedient (2)

Answer : minions 

13. action taken to stop a bad activity (3)

Answer : crackdown 

14. connection/network (4)

Answer : nexus 

15. kept up the strength (4)

Answer : sustained 

16. gang leaders (4)

Answer : dons 

17. freedom on payment of money till court decides case (4)

Answer : bail 

Match the words/phrases with its correct meanings in the opposite columns. The number after each word/phrase indicates the paragraph where the word is to be found.

Answer :

moribund (5)	no longer working effectively
mandatory (5)	compulsory
inmates (5)	someone who lives/is kept in a  particular place
dividends (6)	profits
undertrials (6)	persons whose court case is going on
sentiments (7)	feelings
aspirations (7)	strong desire for something great/ important
radicalized (10)	completely changed
creche (11)	place where small children are kept  while parents are at work
infrastructure (12)	set up required for an establishment
export oriented (13)	planned for export
initiatives (14)	self made decisions
accountable (14)	responsible
vindicated (15)	proved something is right
de - addiction centres (16)	centre where addicts are helped to leave drugs

READ CAREFULLY 

Read paragraphs 1 to 4 and complete the following statements.

Page [64]

1. Bedi believed that any good work basically demands a need to first establishing our credibility .

2. To win the trust of the prisoners Bedi did several things. They were 

a) Bedi stunned her staff by walking through the jails, at unpredictable hours 

b) Spending hours talking to prisoners 

c) She landed up near the terrorists barracks at 1 a.m. 

d) Each prisoner was given the right to submit confidential complaints to the Inspector-General: to which they were entitled to replies from Bedi herself .

3. The Jail Rajas referred to in paragraph 2 were the real arbiters of power, criminals .

4. These Jail Rajas used to do illegal work. Two mentioned in paragraph 2 are 

a) Smuggling narcotics into prison was one profitable enterprise .

b) Extorting money from the relatives of less powerful inmates, in return for their safety .

5. Two instances to show that they really behaved like Rajas are 

a) Sprawled out in their cells, with two minions massaging them .

b) Jail staff jumping to meet their needs .

6. Two steps taken to stop the Jail Rajas were 

a) Several 'Jail Rajas', like Haryana's Man Singh, members of the Uttar Pradesh-based Tyagi gang, and about 15 others, were moved to a single barrack .

b) Instead of the regular jail staff, the Tamil Nadu Special Police were posted here .

7. The two top Rajas had earlier not applied for bail because prison was more inviting for them than the world outside .

READ ON 

Read paragraphs 5 to 9 and do the following.

One of the main things that Kiran Bedi did to improve the education system in Tihar was two hours of classes were made mandatory. From 8.30 to 10.30 ach morning, inmates have the choice of attending French language classes, basic literary programmes, and so on. 

With the changed education system inside Tihar, many inmates had different experiences. Fill in the table below to show details about sme of them and their comments on achievements on academics.

Name	Occupation	Criminal charge	Comments/   Achievvements

Pramod Sharma	Ayurvedic Doctor	Narcotics	Students he had   taught for the  last year are  now teaching their own  students

Chloe	Nigerian student	---------------	Teaches English

Ajay Vijay Singh	------------------	Bomb explosions   in Delhi's Palika   Bazaar	Has been able to study criminal  law privately and help other  prisoners draft  petitions to  appelate courts

Harpreet Singh	-------------------	Planting bombs     at the Indira  Gandhi  International  Airport	Able to read up-  to-date  literature

Future plans of education in Tihar are

    a) A government recognised school .

    b) Vocational training centre .

READ FURTHER

Read paragraphs 10 to 13 and do the following.

Many women are now engaged in different work at Tihar. Fill in the boxes below correctly to show the different occupations.

Answer : 

Fill in the boxes to show the option available for male prisoners at Tihar.

Answer : 

Kiran Bedi wished to modernize industries inside Tihar for two reasons. 

They are

    

    a) She feels such enterprises will mobilise funds desperately needed by Tihar, jack up convict incomes from their present levels of Rs 4-6 a day .

    

    b) It will also help prisoners' rehabilitation on release .

READ AGAIN 

Read paragraphs 14 to 16 and answer the following questions.

1. What has been the benefit of panchayats in Tihar Jail?

Answer : The benefit of panchayats in Tihar Jail are as follows :

i) Disputes between inmates are settled entirely by the panchayat, with minimum interference by the authorities.

ii) Similarly, a panchayat represents prisoners' demands for the provision and repair of amenities and infrastructure.

2. Cite two examples which clearly show that life inside Tihar has definitely improved.

Answer : i) Serious violent incidents within the jail, estimated to have averaged 15 a year, have dropped to zero since the new Inspector- General took over. 

ii) The jail's Petition Officer, who received 334 complaints in the first month of the complaints scheme, received just 30 in July.

3. What positive effects have workers experienced in the Tihar de-addiction centres.

 

Answer :  Both Narcotics Anonymous workers and the Tihar de-addiction centre, Aashiana, too, say there has been a marked improvement in the environment for their work.   

4. Do you think Kiran Bedi really deserved the Magsaysay award? Give reasons.

Answer :  Yes, Kiran Bedi rightfully deserved the Magsaysay award for her excellent contribution for controlling crime, enhancing the image of law enforcement and improving prison conditions.