“Indian jails have turned into a prison for people who are merely accused. It is unfortunate that political prisoners, get bail from the High court, but it is stayed by the Supreme Court and their bail arguments continue for months, even years.”
Human rights activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha offers a stark account of life inside India’s prisons, describing a system defined by deliberate neglect, overcrowding, and institutional apathy. Arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, Navlakha spent years in judicial custody as an undertrial, reflecting the plight of thousands of undertrials who remain in detention for years without bail.
He recalls being quarantined in a school converted into a quarantine centre, overflowing during the pandemic, with minimal sanitation and poor ventilation, before being transferred to Taloja Jail, Mumbai. There, he witnessed limited access to clean water, food, and healthcare. He says that even basic medical or psychiatric care required legal intervention, exposing the deep administrative indifference that governs prison life.
Navlakha emphasises that most prisoners are not convicts but undertrials. Yet, they face the same or worse conditions. “The punishment,” he says, “begins long before the trial ends.” His observations underscore the urgent need for judicial and prison reforms, calling for accountability and humane treatment within India’s legal system.
Despite the harsh environment, Navlakha found moments of solidarity and shared humanity among inmates. Fellow prisoners, he notes, supported one another through illness, grief, and injustice, offering a sense of dignity in otherwise dehumanising conditions. His experience serves as both a personal testimony and a broader indictment of a system that punishes the poor and marginalised, even before justice is served.
Reporter: Apeksha Priyadarshini
Editor: Sudhanshu
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#PoliticalPrisoners #UAPA #Prison #Judiciary #MentalHealth #TalojaJail
Human rights activist and journalist Gautam Navlakha offers a stark account of life inside India’s prisons, describing a system defined by deliberate neglect, overcrowding, and institutional apathy. Arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, Navlakha spent years in judicial custody as an undertrial, reflecting the plight of thousands of undertrials who remain in detention for years without bail.
He recalls being quarantined in a school converted into a quarantine centre, overflowing during the pandemic, with minimal sanitation and poor ventilation, before being transferred to Taloja Jail, Mumbai. There, he witnessed limited access to clean water, food, and healthcare. He says that even basic medical or psychiatric care required legal intervention, exposing the deep administrative indifference that governs prison life.
Navlakha emphasises that most prisoners are not convicts but undertrials. Yet, they face the same or worse conditions. “The punishment,” he says, “begins long before the trial ends.” His observations underscore the urgent need for judicial and prison reforms, calling for accountability and humane treatment within India’s legal system.
Despite the harsh environment, Navlakha found moments of solidarity and shared humanity among inmates. Fellow prisoners, he notes, supported one another through illness, grief, and injustice, offering a sense of dignity in otherwise dehumanising conditions. His experience serves as both a personal testimony and a broader indictment of a system that punishes the poor and marginalised, even before justice is served.
Reporter: Apeksha Priyadarshini
Editor: Sudhanshu
Follow us:
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
#PoliticalPrisoners #UAPA #Prison #Judiciary #MentalHealth #TalojaJail
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NewsTranscript
00:00Indian jails, it seems, have turned into a prison for people who are merely accused.
00:10I mean, it's so unfortunate that political prisoners,
00:16when their bail matter comes up before the court,
00:21if they get bail from the high court, it gets tamed by the Supreme Court.
00:26And it carries on for months and months and years are passing now.
00:30Despite the fact people are still able to maintain their sanity
00:34and to persevere and carry on and struggle,
00:38it takes a lot of doing, but they do it.
00:40The two situations are different, house arrest and the jail.
01:00Jail, you're confined either to a barrack for 16 hours,
01:08and it's only eight hours in two parts that you love to come out.
01:13But that's true for barracks also.
01:17So, in the barracks, again, you have seven and a half hours of,
01:23of, actually five hours, seven hours of free time.
01:34Free meaning in relative terms again,
01:36where your barrack doors are unlocked and you are allowed to come out.
01:42And you can have a conversation with people who are in other barracks
01:46as well as, so you have that relative freedom,
01:52but you're not allowed outside.
01:54You can't step outside the wall.
01:57So, is the case.
01:57So, your mobility is affected.
01:59That's the single biggest thing that happens in a jail,
02:05whether in a barrack or in a cell.
02:08That constriction of the movement creates its own problems, obviously.
02:12It takes time before your body even acclimatizes to that.
02:18It takes some time.
02:19And unfortunately, my period of arrest coincided with pandemic,
02:23so there were long periods of quarantine.
02:27That I, particularly, I underwent because of my peculiar circumstance.
02:33The case was registered in Pune, whereas I have belonged to Delhi.
02:38Because of the pandemic, I had stayed back in Delhi.
02:42So, I went through a different set of experience.
02:48And I also stayed in a special quarantine hospital created during pandemic
02:54to deal with the large number of arrests that were taking place right in the midst of pandemic.
03:06And they were being brought to the jails and the jails were getting overcrowded.
03:11So, in order to deal with that overflow, they decided to set up special quarantine centers.
03:19I was in one of them.
03:21Not within Taloja, separate from Taloja.
03:24They had rented a school, one part of one corridor of the school, one side of one part of the school,
03:34downstairs, and converted into, the school rooms were converted into our barracks.
03:41And imagine, I mean, these, the school was meant for kids, children, right?
03:50So, the benches, chairs, everything were meant and built for them.
03:54All these benches and chairs were removed, of course, and the open space is where we, we had to sleep on the floor.
04:03But the bathrooms were also built for kids, to cater to kids.
04:10Same toilets, I mean, the three, it's a school building, so three toilets, latrines.
04:15And seven urinals may have sufficed for kids during school hours.
04:23But for us, who were placed under quarantine, that same space was too little to cater to need for anywhere between 350 to 700 people.
04:36You can imagine, and there was no bathing space, just a single bathing spot,
04:42where you washed your clothes, washed yourself, if you had an opportunity,
04:50and provided there was water available, because there was a severe shortage of water.
04:58So, it's, it's a, it obviously, it reduces the immunity level of, of everyone I know.
05:10Doctors used to visit infrequently, because they were catering also to the large prison population.
05:22So, they had time off to come, to come, and, and check us out.
05:28And these were Ayurvedic, or homeopathic, which is all right.
05:36I mean, that's all right.
05:37It doesn't mean that their, their clinical reading is, uh, any poor.
05:42No.
05:43But they, they were not qualified to handle such large, large numbers in anything.
05:50And this was pandemic.
05:51So, a qualified doctor was required.
05:54Blood tests were required.
05:56Constant monitoring of each and every inmate was required.
06:00That was not happening.
06:01I was lucky because I managed to come out within four weeks.
06:06Because I was able to, uh, uh, inform my lawyers and Saiba, my life partner, uh, when I was allowed a phone call.
06:21And that got splashed, and they decided to remove me before the matter gained currency, so to say.
06:34So, they decided to shift me.
06:37People who were left behind, who were with me, some of them spent more than three months in that hellhole,
06:47before they were shifted to Taloja.
06:53Not that the conditions in Taloja were any better.
06:57They was marginally better.
06:59But, by the time I was moved, barracks were overflowing with inmates.
07:08Barracks, barracks, which were meant for 27, 29, had anywhere close to 60, sometimes even 70 in some barracks.
07:21And these inmates were sharing four toilets.
07:24And an open space, and an open space, where you could bathe, wash your clothes, clean your utensils.
07:38You can imagine, and if the water was, if there was a severe shortage of water, which happened frequently,
07:46there were days when we only got one bucket or one and a half bucket of water for our, uh, water to bring.
07:57Water to wash clothes, water to bathe, and water to clean the utensils.
08:02You can imagine.
08:05Jail routes provide for, if I, my memory serves me right, 136 liters of water per person.
08:13We were getting, probably, 15 to 18 liters of water.
08:25You can imagine that, obviously, all this meant that people were hurting.
08:34Physically, and mentally, because, unfortunately, jails are centers for punishment.
08:45And inmates are supposed to suffer, no matter what the jail rule book says, or Supreme Court and High Court orders,
09:00any hundreds of them.
09:02In reality, it's meant to punish people, and meant for people to suffer, and to experience suffering.
09:11So, there is no difference between an undertrial and a convict.
09:17Before being convicted, without, without even being tried, they are deemed at par with a convict.
09:24You can imagine how much more, uh, pain it causes to inmates.
09:32Because of this.
09:33And it's, and it's not easy for people to avail of legal, legal help.
09:40Not everybody has.
09:41And my colleagues have talked about it, and have written about it.
09:45The hunting proof is, and they have shared.
09:48And other political prisoners, and other inmates have also highlighted this, that there is a falling lack of legal assistance.
10:02And legal aid committees try as hard as they can, and some of them try, do try.
10:08There is no doubt about it.
10:09But, it's inadequate.
10:13It's not enough.
10:14The other reality of jail is, which causes suffering and pain, is that for every relief that you require,
10:22from the most smallest to a more serious issue, from the trivial to the serious,
10:30the constant refrain is, get a court order.
10:36And now the reality is, that a lawyer would much rather spend time on the trial, and preparing for the trial,
10:43because that's the main job.
10:46If they are dragged into, also handle these cases, and the courts are supposed to handle,
10:52because the jail authorities have transferred the burden to the courts.
10:56The courts cannot handle, it's just not possible.
11:02If I have to go for my straw, to a court, or for a book, or for a visit to the hospital,
11:09or for some special treatment, or school, it's just impossible for the courts to deal with it.
11:15Because the jail authorities have shared their responsibilities, and transferred the burden,
11:20and the courts have happily taken it.
11:22Without ensuring, and cracking down on the jail authorities,
11:27to say that, it's your responsibility to cater to the needs of the inmates.
11:33They are in your custody.
11:35The courts don't do that.
11:38Even when the Bombay High Court found,
11:42that the jail authorities had lied,
11:44when this matter, a PIL, was filed by an inmate,
11:50pointing out that there was severe shortage of water,
11:54and they were not getting more than a bucket, or bucket and a half of water.
12:01The High Court set up a team, a committee,
12:04led by a judge.
12:07He investigated the matter, found that all the complaints that the inmates listed,
12:15were bona fide.
12:16And the jail authorities had lied.
12:19The High Court passed a good order.
12:23Not that it restored water supply,
12:25water remains in short supply in jails.
12:30But they refused to even reprimand the jail authorities.
12:35Even all these conditions, obviously, you can imagine,
12:39that mental health of the inmates suffers.
12:46And then, of course, there are others who suffer even more.
12:49I mean, it's so unfortunate that political prisoners,
12:56when their bail matter comes off before the court,
13:02if they get bailed from the High Court,
13:05it gets paid by the Supreme Court.
13:09And it carries on for months and months,
13:12and years are passing now.
13:14We have closed for two years in one matter.
13:17My own number time, fellow co-ocuse,
13:22Mahesh Rao,
13:23despite the fact people are still able to maintain their sanity
13:27and to persevere and carry on and struggle.
13:33It takes a lot of doing,
13:35but they do it
13:36without much assistance.
13:39In fact, no assistance and no help from
13:42the authorities
13:44whose custodial responsibility
13:49all the prison inmates are.
13:52I mean, that's what shocks me.
13:57The custodial responsibility,
13:58I mean, people have,
13:59authorities have absolved themselves
14:01of the custodial responsibility,
14:04it seems.
14:05On the one hand, the jail authorities.
14:07On the other hand, the judicial authorities.
14:09The jail, because it shirks its responsibility
14:15and the judicial, probably
14:16also because it's overburdened
14:19and can't handle it.
14:23But,
14:24but the suffering of the inmate
14:28gets compounded.
14:35So, obviously, the mental health
14:36and there is not,
14:39there is hardly any provision for counselling.
14:41In fact, let me,
14:42what's,
14:43what
14:44I observed
14:46in my,
14:47during my jail life was
14:49paring one jailer
14:52in the entire
14:54jail
14:55when the inmates
14:58were what
14:59brought to a circle
15:00or a ward,
15:04my jailer
15:05was the only jailer
15:06who gave time
15:08and
15:09talked
15:10and had long conversations
15:12with each inmate
15:14who came.
15:16No other jailer did.
15:17counselling is
15:26something which is,
15:29I think,
15:30very,
15:31very much needed
15:32in jail.
15:33All kinds of counselling,
15:34it's not just your
15:35mental and health issues,
15:37you have emotional issues,
15:39you have legal
15:40hassles
15:41that you're dealing with,
15:42you don't know
15:43what legal
15:45help
15:46is available
15:48to you,
15:49where to look for
15:50somebody to guide
15:51and the jailer,
15:52it's jailer's responsibility.
15:54Suddenly,
15:55suddenly a team
15:56would come
15:56and we would,
15:57people would get
15:58to know some,
15:59that those who have
16:00problem,
16:02mental health issues
16:03should come.
16:05Now,
16:06given that there is
16:07also
16:08socially,
16:10there is,
16:11it's the
16:11mental health thing
16:13is stigmatized,
16:14you know.
16:15Of course.
16:15It still is a battle
16:17that has to be won.
16:19I mean,
16:19people have to recognize
16:20that mental health
16:21is as important
16:24as physical health
16:26and that also
16:27requires treatment,
16:29diagnosis
16:29and treatment.
16:31So,
16:33this still has to,
16:35has to become
16:36universally
16:37acceptable
16:39or recognized.
16:40so,
16:42not as if
16:42it's people
16:43in position
16:44of power
16:46and decision-making
16:47or policy-making
16:48are unaware of it.
16:49Right.
16:51It's also,
16:54I,
16:54it's,
16:55it's,
16:55it's an area
16:57that needs
16:58absolutely looking into.
17:01This is not,
17:02this is not to say
17:03that one accepts
17:05jail for what it is.
17:06I mean,
17:06I hope to find
17:08jail an abomination.
17:14And Indian jails,
17:16it seems,
17:17have turned
17:18into
17:18a prison
17:20for,
17:21for people
17:22who are
17:23merely accused.
17:24I mean,
17:28if 77%
17:29of the jail
17:30population
17:30comprises
17:31under trials,
17:32then what
17:34does it say?
17:35That the jails
17:36have become
17:36a center
17:37where you,
17:37you keep
17:40under trials,
17:42accused,
17:43who have
17:43neither been tried
17:44nor convicted
17:45for as long
17:47as you want,
17:48you can.
17:50And this is
17:50especially true
17:51for political
17:52prisoners.
17:53that if
17:55authorities
17:56are
17:57referring
18:01every request
18:03and demand
18:04that we bring
18:05a court order,
18:07then even
18:08for a psychiatric
18:09evaluation,
18:11now who can
18:11afford it
18:12in the first place?
18:13Secondly,
18:13who can get it?
18:15You know,
18:16somebody has
18:16to examine.
18:18The jail
18:18authority,
18:19jail medical
18:20staff has
18:21to examine
18:22and say
18:22that yes,
18:23this person
18:24needs to
18:25be evaluated
18:26by a
18:28psychiatrist.
18:31Invades
18:31can't do it.
18:33We can
18:34report the
18:34matter,
18:35we can bring
18:35it up again
18:36and again.
18:36And this
18:37invariably
18:37happens.
18:39They are so
18:40indifferent.
18:40That's why I
18:41said there is
18:41a certain
18:42degree of,
18:43there is a
18:43stigma attached
18:44to it.
18:45And it's
18:45people from,
18:48obviously,
18:48you're talking
18:49about
18:49Dalits,
18:51Baujans,
18:52the Muslims,
18:55you know,
18:56the poor
18:57tribals.
18:58These are the
18:59people.
19:00Those who are
19:00better off,
19:02I mean,
19:02who come from
19:03well off or
19:04are well
19:04connected,
19:05even in jail,
19:07they have
19:07access.
19:08They can
19:09manage things.
19:10they have a
19:12retinue of
19:13lawyers and
19:13other staff
19:14members,
19:15et cetera,
19:15et cetera,
19:16or the
19:16family to
19:17look out for
19:17them outside
19:18and ensure
19:19that they
19:20get what
19:23they require
19:24and need.
19:26And since
19:28they come
19:28from such
19:31social background,
19:32obviously,
19:32there is also
19:33an indifference
19:34and an apathy
19:35which is
19:36built into it.
19:38So,
19:38obviously,
19:39it's not,
19:39it's taken
19:40very lightly
19:41or it's
19:42joked about,
19:42it becomes
19:43a butt,
19:44you know,
19:44those people
19:45also at
19:45times become
19:46a butt of
19:46joke.
19:47Sometimes,
19:48in fact,
19:49inmates can
19:49also get
19:50become,
19:51it can be
19:51very cruel
19:52at times
19:54until,
19:55you know,
19:55somebody
19:56intervenes
19:57and you
19:58put,
19:58brings it
19:59to a stop.
20:00But we
20:02have cases
20:03where people
20:03are then
20:04locked up
20:04in hospital
20:05who are
20:06very serious
20:07cases,
20:07they are
20:08locked up.
20:09and for,
20:11they are
20:11in complete
20:12isolation.
20:13I didn't
20:14see even
20:14once any
20:15psychiatrist
20:17coming
20:19to look
20:22at some
20:23of the
20:24inmates
20:24who had
20:24been locked
20:25up in the
20:25jail hospital
20:26because they
20:28were supposed
20:28to be
20:30fagal
20:32within
20:32force.
20:33my isolation
20:40was worse
20:41because of
20:42the period
20:42of,
20:43the long
20:44period of
20:45quarantine
20:47and isolation.
20:50Nearly
20:50three months
20:51I spent
20:52in total
20:53in quarantine
20:54and isolation.
20:56And that
20:57was tough
20:58because you're
20:59all by yourself,
21:00not in
21:02quarantine
21:02where we
21:03were packed
21:04like sardines
21:05in the
21:06Gokhale
21:06school
21:06where we
21:07were placed,
21:08which was
21:08converted
21:09into a
21:10special
21:10quarantine
21:11center.
21:14But once
21:15you were
21:15brought to
21:15the jail,
21:17I was
21:17placed in
21:18quarantine
21:18after having
21:19spent four
21:20weeks in
21:21quarantine
21:21in that
21:22special
21:24center.
21:25I was
21:26placed for
21:26two weeks
21:27in isolation
21:28in the
21:31jail hospital
21:31where I
21:33could not
21:33come out.
21:34I was
21:34locked 24
21:35hours.
21:36The only
21:37time I
21:38came out
21:38was when
21:39I,
21:41because I
21:42hadn't got
21:43a haircut
21:43or a
21:44beard
21:45trim
21:46and
21:47because of
21:50what had
21:50happened.
21:50that was
21:54one time
21:54they brought
21:55me out
21:55from my
21:56cell so
21:57that the
21:57barber could
21:58cut my
21:58hair and
21:59things like
21:59that.
22:00And the
22:00other time
22:00when I
22:01needed to
22:03make a
22:03phone call
22:04when I
22:04was allowed.
22:06Those were
22:06the only
22:07moments I
22:09remember.
22:10Otherwise,
22:11I was locked
22:11up.
22:12The good
22:13and the
22:13bad about
22:14Houser
22:15was that
22:16while I
22:18had company
22:19of my
22:19life partner
22:20and I
22:22was able
22:23my diet
22:25improved by
22:28leaps and
22:28bounds in
22:30contrast to
22:30the jail
22:31food that
22:31I was
22:32partaking.
22:34But I
22:35was
22:35lonelier
22:38under Houser
22:39risk and
22:40it was
22:41tougher to
22:43cope with
22:43it because
22:44you're all
22:44by yourself
22:45most of
22:45the time.
22:47Saiba was
22:48with me
22:49but there
22:49were occasions
22:50when she
22:50had to
22:50travel to
22:51Delhi.
22:53And
22:54those
22:55were periods
22:55that were
22:56toughest for
22:57me to
22:57handle because
22:58I had no
22:59one to
22:59talk to.
23:01In any
23:02case,
23:03those 20
23:03months,
23:05that
23:06was tough.
23:11Both
23:11mentally and
23:14emotionally,
23:14that was
23:17tough.
23:20people and
23:20people and
23:21people and
23:21others,
23:22they were
23:23very special.
23:26It's a modern
23:27jail.
23:29Built in
23:31early 2000,
23:342007, I think,
23:37would have
23:37completed.
23:38So it's a modern
23:39jail.
23:41So in contrast to
23:42other jails, as I
23:43understand, even
23:44my experience from
23:47Tihar, what
23:48stood apart as
23:50far as the
23:51loja was
23:51concerned,
23:52beautiful
23:53surrounding with
23:54a hill
23:54flanking the
23:56jail and
23:56greenery all
23:58around and all
23:59that, but that
23:59was outside from
24:00a distance.
24:02Inside,
24:04these were like
24:05cement blocks
24:07where you
24:08didn't have
24:09windows.
24:09closed, you
24:11had open
24:12griddle
24:12front with
24:17a door
24:20which was
24:21locked and
24:22would be
24:24unlocked when
24:25bandhi
24:25opened and
24:27locked when
24:28bandhi
24:28closed.
24:30So there's
24:32not a
24:32blade of
24:33grass or
24:35greenery
24:35anywhere inside
24:38from the
24:39cell you
24:40could not
24:40see any
24:41greenery.
24:43I was
24:44lucky that
24:44I was
24:46placed in
24:47the circle
24:48in a
24:48barrack on
24:50the first
24:50floor and
24:52it was called
24:53the police
24:53barrack because
24:54there were
24:54a lot of
24:55police personnel
24:57or a
24:57variety of
24:58offenses.
25:00They were
25:00placed in
25:01that barrack.
25:02So I was
25:03placed amongst
25:04them.
25:06Given my
25:07DK-16
25:08connection,
25:11they thought
25:12the advisor
25:12took place
25:13me amongst
25:14them.
25:14Anyway,
25:15the good
25:19part about
25:19it is from
25:20my window,
25:22the drill
25:22window, I
25:23could see the
25:24hill and the
25:25greenery and
25:26the sky.
25:28Otherwise,
25:29you didn't
25:30see the sky
25:31or barely.
25:32hardly got
25:36any sun.
25:38You long
25:38for sun,
25:40fresh air
25:41and greenery.
25:43I mean,
25:43your eyes
25:44used to
25:45thirst for
25:46greenery,
25:47something
25:47just to
25:49see trees
25:51and flowers
25:51and plants
25:53and grass.
25:54It wasn't.
25:55It's only
25:56when we were
25:56brought out
25:57of the
25:57water that
25:59we saw
26:00that open
26:01expanse of
26:03green
26:04fields,
26:06plants,
26:07trees,
26:07birds.
26:08So on
26:09every occasion
26:10that you
26:10could or
26:12you could
26:13maneuver,
26:15you try to
26:16get out of
26:16the water
26:17in order to
26:18at least
26:18breathe in
26:19some fresh
26:20air,
26:22walk more
26:22freely,
26:23and enjoy
26:27the sun
26:28and the
26:28breeze.
26:29The purpose
26:29of the
26:30jail
26:30affection
26:31is very
26:32clear and
26:33there should
26:35be no
26:35confusion
26:35about it.
26:37It is
26:37to impose
26:39such
26:41conditions
26:42on the
26:42inmate
26:43quite
26:47deliberately
26:48and
26:49purposefully.
26:50there is
26:54nothing,
26:54no other
26:55explanation
26:55that could
26:56explain why
26:57despite in
26:5721st century
26:58we should
27:03still be
27:04talking about
27:05horrible
27:06jail
27:06conditions
27:07across the
27:09country
27:10and the
27:11plight of
27:11the inmates.
27:14Some more
27:15than others,
27:16no doubt.
27:18But
27:18they share
27:19the same
27:21miserable
27:22condition
27:23across the
27:24boat.
27:30Oh,
27:31camaraderie.
27:33Camaraderie.
27:34And the
27:35solidarity.
27:36Not just
27:37I was
27:39fortunate
27:39we are part
27:40of PT-16
27:41to our
27:42numbers itself.
27:45Then the
27:46fellow
27:46other political
27:47prisoners
27:48over there
27:48and all
27:51the inmates
27:52in general
27:52because as
27:55far as the
27:55inmate was
27:56concerned,
27:58political
27:59business was
28:00slightly
28:01different,
28:01right?
28:02Because we
28:03were not
28:03there for
28:04self-gratification.
28:06We were
28:06not,
28:07there was
28:08no offense
28:08where we
28:10could be
28:10accused of
28:11self-gratification.
28:13So there
28:14was a
28:15difference.
28:15camaraderie
28:20with them
28:20with the
28:22jail inmates
28:23that helped
28:28enormously
28:28and my
28:29fellow
28:29quote
28:30obviously,
28:31there's no
28:31doubt about
28:32it.
28:33For each
28:33one of us,
28:34I mean,
28:34we have been
28:35for all
28:35of us,
28:36it's a
28:38great bonding
28:39that also
28:40got forth.
28:41I'm thankful
28:43for that.
28:44Very,
28:45despite what
28:45the case
28:48and the
28:48experience
28:49and everything,
28:51discovered
28:52friends and
28:55bondings
28:55for life,
28:58I think.
28:59That is
28:59something that
29:01sustained us.
29:03and obviously
29:05when you
29:05spent a
29:05long time
29:06there,
29:06even the
29:07jail staff
29:07who interact
29:08with you
29:09on an
29:09everyday
29:09basis,
29:10they get
29:11to know
29:11you.
29:12The
29:12officers
29:13are
29:13different.
29:15Most of
29:16them
29:16remained
29:17officious
29:18and
29:20many of
29:22them were
29:22also
29:23offensive
29:24and
29:25foolish.
29:26There
29:26were some
29:27who also
29:28got to
29:28know
29:28the
29:29inmates,
29:31many of
29:32us,
29:32and it
29:34does
29:35help.
29:35So over
29:36time when
29:36you get
29:37to know
29:37people and
29:38they get
29:38to know
29:38you,
29:39the equation
29:40changes.
29:42That doesn't
29:42happen and
29:43that sustains
29:44you.
29:44You know,
29:45human
29:47adaptability
29:49as well
29:49as human
29:50compassion
29:54and empathy
29:54that people
29:56show to
29:57each other
29:57in difficult
29:58circumstances,
30:00that is
30:01what sustains.
30:02it's not
30:04the quality
30:05of food,
30:06it's not
30:06the quality
30:07of medical
30:08or health
30:09provision
30:09or the
30:10living space
30:11and the
30:12living
30:12conditions.
30:14None of
30:14this.
30:15Those
30:15remain
30:16miserable.
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