Life Behind & Beyond Bars

Prisons@Work is a series of 6 episodes that step into Indian Society’s most hidden workplaces -the Indian Prison System. Through conversations with prison reformers and ex-convicts we explore life in prison, after prison, and unearth the complex web of justice, caste, gender, stigma and survival. We also look at possible reforms and restorative practices that could redefine the justice system.

Through first-person narratives, we examine the lived realities of incarceration from three formerly imprisoned individuals. Their stories offer a direct, unfiltered look at daily life in prison, how they navigated institutional life, power structures, and their long arc of rebuilding life afterward.

All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the speakers’ privacy.

All these three episodes are in Hindi.

Image Credit: Warships in a Heavy Storm (c. 1695), Ludolf Backhuysen

Subscribe & Listen:Spotify(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) Apple (Part 1, Part 2,Part 3)

Rajiv (name changed), a former inmate from Tihar Jail. Rajiv recounts the shock of his first night behind bars, the disorientation of losing freedom and the slow recalibration of reclaiming of his identity.

Aman (name changed), a former inmate of Tihar Jail, whose years inside prison became an unexpected journey of survival, self-discovery and skill building. Through his candid account, we explore the informal networks of support and resilience within Tihar’s jails, and we reflect on the emotional labour of rebuilding identity in a system designed to erase it.

Meena (name changed), whose sudden incarceration left her feeling invisible, distressed and voiceless. But with quiet encouragement from her family, jail staff and access to mentoring, Meena found the courage to step out of her shell and rebuild her life slowly.

Resources

Project Second Chance Website

India Justice Report The India Justice Report is the first national ranking and data-based assessment of how Indian states perform when it comes to delivering justice.