The intent of this graduation project was to introduce strategic design interventions for bringing about impactful changes in the lives of male inmates serving a period of 14+ years for condemning severe degree crimes at Dausa Central Jail, Shyalawas, Rajasthan, India. They are associated with Jaipur Rugs as carpet weavers for ‘Freedom Manchaha project’ since 2018.
The study was carried out with forty participants, who voluntarily participated in this prospective project for over a period of six months i.e., 16th Nov 2022 – 16th May 2023 and demonstrated marked improvement with impactful results. Since, the inmates were already skilled at the craft of carpet weaving the aim of this project was focused on upskilling and enabling them through implementation of phase wise execution of research with inclusion of expert training and workshops.
The culmination of the design process for this inducive environment required a thoughtful, adaptable, and pragmatic approach strategised to empower the derelict group and address problems of larger magnitude such as recidivism. The impact of the project was studied and validated through two outcomes i.e., a collection of wall rugs made by six participants and a customised design process in the form of ‘The Play Book’.
Since, one of the outcomes of the project was a ‘Model for Learning’, the scope of the same is not just limited to jail but other non-design sectors such as education, craft, technology, etc. This was a great opportunity, to identify and understand the deviants of our society, research on a completely different strata, identify the complexities within the system, simulate the plan and methodologies, and thereby propose strategic interventions for holistic betterment of the individuals for the upliftment of the society.
