Bhopal, Sep 24 (IANS) As part of a package of jail reforms, prisoners will be made to undergo training for priests even while the architecture of prisons could change in accordance with an ancient Indian science to bring out the "goodness" in some criminals.

With increasing incidents of violence being reported from state jails, Madhya Pradesh Jail Minister Dhal Singh Bisen believes that changes in accordance with the principles of vaastu will "bring out the goodness in prisoners".

The minister told IANS: "Sometimes just changing the position of gates, doors and windows leads to a flow of positive energies."

"If changes according to vaastu bring down the crime graph, society will benefit," he said.

Bisen also wants the inmates to undergo 'rajpurohit' training (a training course for priests). Some inmates in Gwalior have already been trained.

"The prisoners can serve as priests after their terms are over," Bisen said.

In a bid to change prisoners, the jail department has launched a comprehensive reform package. Top on the list is protection of human rights.

The department also plans to allow prisoners to live with their families in jail if they behave well. The government intends to build special family jails for "well-behaved" prisoners. There are two such family jails in Sangmer and Durgapur in Rajasthan.

Last year, it encouraged inmates to put up a three-day 'Bandi Hit Diwas' (a cultural show).

With incidents of violence being reported from the state's overcrowded jails they no longer seem safe for inmates.

"To think that jails in Madhya Pradesh are safe, unlike those in Bihar, is like living in a fool's paradise. It is wrong to say that only jails in the Chambal region lodge dreaded criminals," said a senior police official, who did not want to be named.

"It is difficult to tackle hardcore criminals. There is a shortage of staff and we have to work under tremendous pressure. This has led to many jailbreaks in the past two years," he said.

Most jails are packed five times their capacity. Of the 30,000 prisoners lodged in the 128 jails of the state, 10,000 are serving long terms.

Agreeing that there was shortage of staff and overcrowding Inspector General I.G. Diwakar said, "We are training police personnel to look into the conditions we work in. The first such six-month training schedule for officials started recently."

Ever since 47 prisoners fled Jobat jail near Jhabua three years ago, jailbreaks have become fairly common. In the past two years, about 10 convicts have made good their escape.

Incidents of violence are also on the rise. Earlier this month, 16 prisoners were injured in a clash in Ujjain jail. In October last, 24 prisoners clashed inside Rewa jail. In Sagar, an inmate died in a clash last September.

In April 2005, the inmates of Gohat jail in Bhind district took the jailor hostage for over three hours. He was freed after commandos were called in. In July 2005, an inmate in Indore Central Jail injured himself after a quarrel with the jailor. Had the jailor not overpowered him he would have killed himself.

"We are armed with obsolete weapons. If an inmate hits back we cannot initiate action. We can only lodge an FIR," a deputy jailor pointed out.

"The work pressure is so much that often we skip even routine checks," a jail superintendent confessed.

Be it mobile phones, chicken-biryani or narcotics, everything is now available in jails. The recent recovery of cellular phones with a dozen SIMs, radio-sets, drugs, lethal weapons, audio-cassettes and dry fruits in Gwalior central jail shocked the administration. The jailor was suspended following the cache.

Clearly, all is not well in the state jails. But jail officials claim the living conditions are much better in Madhya Pradesh; therefore most dreaded dacoits wish to surrender here.