Restoration of Released Prisoners to Society: Issues, Challenges and Further Ways: Insights from Kerala, India

The paper concerns itself with issues and challenges faced by the released prisoners during their social re-entry. It argues Indian prisons provide some aftercare services but the focus primarily rests on vocational training. This renders invisible the punishment faced by released prisoners in terms of the social stigma and degradation of the self-image caused by the prisons. The authors presents case studies of certain released prisoners to explore this area further. They suggest that more nuanced aftercare services would have to be introduced in Indian prison system to close this loop. For instance, the authors discuss the importance of formulating individual care plan with 3 distinct phases; creating cooperative societies for ex-prisoners, setting up placement cells, and utlising the parole process appropriately.