Once a prisoner, now an asset for Gurgaon jails

When he was put behind bars as an under-trial in June 2013, he was just another name in the long list of inmates in Bhondsi jail. But today, software engineer Amit Mishra is sought after by jail authorities across Haryana for an entirely different reason.Originally from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Mishra, who lives in Bhondsi, developed a software — Phoenix — while doing time, to digitize the automation of jail inmates and other jail operations

The software has now been adopted across all jails in the state, after being first adopted to automate canteen operations at Bhondsi jail, while he was in prison.Accused of causing dowry death, Mishra landed in jail after his wife consumed poison in April 2013. He was working with a private firm as a software engineer at the time.

"For the first three months, I was depressed. The then jail superintendent, Harinder Singh, asked me to utilize my potential and do something good. That's how it all began," recalled Mishra. He said he wanted to change how jails worked, and decided to digitize the jail canteen's old coupon system. The software he created eventually led to the adoption of biometric machines to run operations.

"Fingerprints of all undertrials and convicts were collected. This helped authorities to record and maintain accounts of money deposited in the name of a particular inmate, track his criminal record, status of trail, dates and also number of times he has been hospitalized," Mishra told .

The best part of the project is it does not require state financial support. "It's self sustaining. Any jail requires Rs 4-5 lakh for the hardware, which can be borne from profits of canteen sales," Mishra said.

Kulbeer Singh, the Bhondsi jail superintendent, said Mishra, who was an inmate for 13 months, had now been hired by his department to set up the digital system in jails across the state. "He is a good software engineer and a soft-spoken person. We hope he will do the best for us," he added.

The team that designed the software has, it can be said, 'expertise in their domain'. It includes Rohit Pagare, a convict, and Vir Ajay, an under-trial who worked with an auto major.

"At present, I have 10 ex-prisoners working on the software. After all, they understand the system's problems best. I incorporated their feedback/suggestions to reality. To ensure smooth transition to Phoenix, we trained 350 warders and inmates on basic data entry to complex issues," said Mishra.

Features of the software include compatibility with biometric identification machines, face identification and retina scanners. It is a boon for courts, which can access prisoners' records.

To understand a prisoner's behavior inside prison, courts can also access details of a case at a click, including a history of tickets and previous prison sentences. On an average, Haryana prisons add 40,000 records of prisoners a year.

Source : TOI