I am fine. You shouldn’t cry: Prisoners video call from jail to reach out to families in times of COVID-19

“I am fine. You shouldn’t cry. Please be careful and ensure that you don’t step out. Don’t forget to have hot water. Hope you people are safe,” a father tells his inconsolable daughter via video call.

This is not the story of an immigrant father talking to his daughter back home, but the emotions of a prisoner who has missed “visitors’ interviews” with his family due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

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The visibly elated father continues to enquire about his daughter’s well-being and talks to his wife for a few minutes before hanging up. The video recording of a conversation between the prisoner and his daughter was accessed by DH.

Thanks to an initiative by the Tamil Nadu Prisons Department, convicts and prisoners in 15 jails across the state now get to talk to their families via video call on WhatsApp. The department procured 58 smartphones to enable prisoners to talk to their family after the personal interviews were suspended in mid-March to avoid the crowd at prisons to avoid further spread of coronavirus.

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“Decision to procure smartphones to enable prisoners to talk to their family members via video call was taken due to the cancellation of visitors’ interview in all prisons across the state. Since family members will be worried about the prisoners’ well being and vice-versa, we implemented the video calling system,” a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Prisons’ Department told DH.

Since Covid-19 has created a scare among everyone, officials said, it is obvious for prisoners to think about their families and worry about their status. “This has helped reduce the stress of both prisoners and their families,” the senior official added.

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The video calling facility is available at Central prisons in Puzhal (Chennai), Madurai, Palayamkottai, Trichy, Cuddalore, Vellore, Coimbatore, and Salem. It is also made available in Special Prison for Women at Puzhal, Vellore, Trichy, Coimbatore, and Madurai. The smartphones have been provided with 4G sims and unlimited data, officials said.

“We launched this facility on Wednesday (March 25), and prisoners are allowed to talk to their family members for a few minutes. The facility can be availed by prisoners once or twice in a week as a replacement to interviews,” another senior official said.

Prisoners are allotted a specific time and are asked to come to a room where the smartphone is placed for the virtual meeting, he said.