Prison Inc.




A corporate revolution cooking behind jail gates

By Jignesh Barot and Hemington James

Posted On Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 03:40:02 Ahmedabad Mirror
A corporatisation revolution is sweeping the Sabarmati Jail of late. Inmates have been making an assortment of consumer durables and food items for some time now, but jail authorities now want to get products made under ‘Prison Inc’ brand registered under Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Some of these goods are exceptional, and the fear is their imitations can surface in the market. So no more running the risk.If their ‘jail bhajias’ are goodies to die for, wait till you see the latest addition in their repertoire — the made-to-order furniture. With enhanced skill-sets, inmates can make top-notch woodwork to match your exact specifications. They’re value for money. Stuff you will want to kill for.The one shortcoming Prison Inc products faced was disorganised and erratic distribution. The plan now is to market them better. This entails repackaging the goods, inscribing the ‘Prison Inc’ logo and backing it all up with a marketing strategy. The jail currently does yearly business of Rs 6 crore.Keshav Kumar, IG (prisons), says, “Goods made by jail inmates are better quality than most stuff sold outside. What we lacked was proper publicity and a dedicated marketing plan. We are currently in talks with Ahmedabad Management Association to device an approach to reach a wider market. The idea is to increase the sales by at least 30 per cent in the first year under the state government’s ‘Golden Goal’ scheme.”Prison Inc has already delivered products to AMC and Tribal Development Corporation, both semi-government bodies. AMC bought furniture worth Rs 9 lakh, and TDC worth Rs 36 lakh. DISCERNING CLIENTELEThe next logical step is to create an appeal among a more discerning clientele. The way to go about that is to enhance quality and finish significantly, offer designer furniture to the liking of high-end buyers. Prison Inc has put out a brochure detailing its entire range, including made-to-order designs.Jail authorities are in the process of patenting the ‘methi bhajia’ and registering their other exclusive products under Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Patents and trademarks advocate Y J Trivedi says, “Prison Inc products are going to be the envy of many manufacturers, which is why authorities want to get it registered under IPR. We are helping them in this.”Keshav Kumar in fact has even bigger plans. He wants to make Sabarmati jail’s production section an industrial hub. If he has his way, he’d like it to become an SEZ. “I feel as if I’m playing the role of a police-entrepreneur,” says Kumar.

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