Hyderabad, May 16: What if you could experience the prison life without even breaking the law? Hyderabad's jail has turned this unusual idea into reality.

The historic Chanchalguda Central Prison has introduced a first-of-its-kind initiative called “Feel the Jail,” inviting ordinary citizens to voluntarily experience life behind bars for a few hours or an entire day. Far from being a punishment, this programme is designed as an immersive journey into discipline, routine, and the reality of incarceration.

For ₹2,000, visitors can spend 24 hours inside the prison, while a 12-hour experience is priced at ₹1,000. Participants are housed in specially allocated cells, served standard jail meals, and required to follow a strict inmate-style schedule. The aim is to simulate, as closely as possible, the structured and restricted life of prison inmates.

Alongside this experience, authorities have also opened a new prison museum at the State Institute of Correctional Administration. The museum offers a deeper look into the evolution of correctional systems in the region.

Visitors can explore a wide range of exhibits, including old shackles, recreated prison cells, and stories of notable historical personalities such as Bhakta Ramadasu and Dasarathi Krishnamacharyulu. The museum also highlights lesser-known aspects of prison life, including inmate-run industries, rehabilitation programmes, and the role of prisoners in major national projects like the construction of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.

Officials say the initiative is inspired by earlier experiments such as the “one-day jail experience” at the Sangareddy Heritage Jail Museum, which had drawn strong public curiosity before being discontinued due to structural issues at the site.

Telangana Prisons officials have positioned “Feel the Jail” as more than a tourist attraction. The new programme was inaugurated by Shiv Pratap Shukla, who emphasized that prisons should not be viewed only as places of punishment. Instead, as spaces of reform, rehabilitation, and second chances. According to Prison DGP Soumya Mishra, the experience is intended to educate especially younger visitors about law, discipline, and the consequences of crime, while also offering insight into how the correctional system functions.

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Since its launch, the initiative has quickly gained traction online, with social media users reacting with a mix of curiosity, surprise, and debate. Hyderabad’s “Feel the Jail” programme sits at an unusual intersection of tourism and social awareness.

Whether seen as an innovative educational tool or an unconventional attraction, one thing is certain: Chanchalguda has turned the concept of prison tourism into something unforgettable.