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RRU Expands PRAHARI Training for Prison Officers Across India

RRU Trains Senior Prison Officers in Mental Health Under Project PRAHARI

Prison officers from across India are being trained to spot mental health risks among people in custody as Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) hosts a three-day national programme on correctional mental health.

The National Training of Trainers on Correctional Mental Health under Project PRAHARI is being held from September 23 to 25 at RRU in Gandhinagar. The programme is aimed at senior prison officials, including Superintendents of Police, Additional SPs, Deputy SPs and Jailers, who are expected to take the training back to their respective prison systems.

The programme brings together officers from 12 states and Union Territories, according to RRU’s latest public communication. The release supplied for this report names Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, making 11 states by name. The 12th participating jurisdiction is not identified in that list.

Project PRAHARI stands for Psychological Risk Assessment, Health Awareness and Resilience Initiative. It is being run by the Global Correctional Administration Studies (GCAS) under RRU’s School of Behavioural Sciences and Forensic Investigations.

The basic idea is practical. Prison staff spend long periods around people in custody and may be among the first to notice changes in behaviour, signs of distress, suicidal thoughts, substance dependence or other warning signs. The training is designed to help officers recognise those signs, deal with immediate situations safely and refer prisoners to qualified mental health professionals when needed.

The approach fits with recommendations made by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2023. Its advisory on suicides and self-harm in prisons called for mental health screening at the time of admission, better monitoring of prisoners considered at risk, mental health training for prison staff and the use of a gatekeeper model to help identify people at risk of suicide.

The need for such training is linked to a wider shortage of mental health professionals in Indian prisons. An NHRC publication has noted that, based on 2022 prison data, India had about 0.05 psychiatrists per 1,000 prisoners. It also pointed to the 2016 Model Prison Manual’s recommendation of at least one psychologist or counsellor for every 500 prisoners, while noting that the manual is guidance rather than a binding requirement on states.

Project PRAHARI began at Sabarmati Central Prison on February 3, 2026, according to RRU’s programme information. Since then, the initiative has been taken up in correctional institutions in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The supplied programme material says more than 250 correctional personnel have been trained through the initiative.

A separate government release confirms that PRAHARI was conducted at Ahmedabad Central Prison from May 29 to June 5, where 40 prison officers and staff were trained in psychological risk assessment, mental health awareness, crisis communication, behavioural risk identification and resilience.

In Madhya Pradesh, a PRAHARI batch at the Regional Jail Management & Research Institute, Bhopal, trained 30 correctional personnel in July. The course covered risk identification, crisis communication, de-escalation, referral procedures and staff wellbeing.

The programme has since moved towards a national training model. Officers completing the current course are to receive certification as PRAHARI Master Trainers. They are expected to train correctional staff in their own states or Union Territories and report those sessions to the GCAS Training of Trainers Cell.

RRU says it plans to conduct the national trainer programme every month, with the stated aim of extending the training to India’s serving prison staff by mid-2028.

The wider policy setting is also changing. Prison administration remains a responsibility of state governments and Union Territories because prisons are a State List subject. The Ministry of Home Affairs provides guidance and support, including the Model Prison Manual, 2016 and the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023. The Model Act includes provisions covering healthcare and psychological assessment and treatment of prisoners.

RRU Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Bimal N. Patel inaugurated the current training programme. During the opening session, he spoke about strengthening prison administration through training and technology. He referred to the ePrisons system and said RRU could assist in developing similar databases. He also urged officers to make greater use of technology and research personnel when designing and running prison programmes.

Dr Jasbirkaur Thadani, University Dean, said the training is linked to rehabilitation and aims to help officers recognise psychological risks, make referrals and develop first responders within the prison system.

Dr Geetesh Kumar Singh, Project Director, GCAS, spoke about the shortage of mental health professionals available to people in custody. He said this makes trained frontline prison staff important in identifying people who may need professional help.

RRU’s work with Madhya Pradesh shows that the training is also moving beyond short courses. On August 20, 2026, RRU and the Madhya Pradesh Department of Jail & Correctional Services signed an MoU and an Accreditation and Affiliation Agreement. The arrangement includes training, research and work towards Psychosocial Care Centres in state prisons.

For the prison system, the larger question is whether training can turn early recognition into timely action. A prison officer cannot replace a psychologist or psychiatrist. But an officer who recognises a warning sign can alert the right person sooner.

The three-day Gandhinagar programme is therefore part of a wider attempt to place mental health awareness closer to everyday prison work. The final test will be what happens after the trainers return to their states, and how many frontline officers receive the same training before the planned 2028 target.