Sentence served, ex-convicts are hoping to raise the bar

In 2001, Gundu Anumandham from Krishnagiri was arrested after a man was electrocuted in his agricultural field. Though he maintains he was not at fault, he was convicted and sent to Vellore Central Prison. While in prison, Anumandham decided to turn his sentence into a stepping stone. He learned yoga from popular Chennai-based trainer ‘Asana' Andiappan and went on to teach it to more than 10,000 inmates in Vellore. He also completed his Class X and Class XII exams through the state board and earned a B.Lit degree while still behind bars.

After his release in 2018, he launched a YouTube channel focused on yoga and social issues and authored two books on lifestyle and well-being. "I didn't want to remain confined by the label of a convict," says Anumandham. "I wanted to set an example." Anumandham is one of several former convicts in Tamil Nadu who are using their time in prison to learn, upskill, and start new lives.

"The objective of setting up prisons is to rehabilitate offenders, not just punish them," says Tamil Nadu prisons department DGP Maheshwar Dayal. "There may be a few instances when prisons turn into hubs of hatching conspiracies, but they are few. Most convicts commit an offence in a fit of rage. Once a prisoner who served for a murder case gets out, it is very rare that he falls back into crime."

Raja (name changed), for instance, from Oyyandipatti village near Usilampatti, works as a commerce lecturer in one of the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. A former army man, Raja killed his wife in a moment of rage, something he says he regretted every day of the 16 years he spent in Madurai central prison. "I threw myself into education, not just for myself, but to help others too," says Raja, who completed an MBA, MCom, MA History, and BA Hindi. "I used to take classes too for fellow inmates," he says.

Raja also worked in the prison office, where he helped handle salary credits for inmates. "I would also write public pardon appeals and counter affidavits. I'd leave my cell at 6 am and return only at 11 pm. Others had to be back in their cells by 5 pm, but I was given an exemption because of the office work I handled."

Though many former convicts try to lead productive lives after their release, the stigma often lingers. Most choose not to disclose their past, particularly in the workplace, fearing it will cost them their jobs and social standing. Take, for instance, a former inmate who won a Tirukkural recitation competition in prison in 2008 by reciting all 1,330 couplets. Today, he leads a respectable life but avoids discussing his past and, though proud of it, never tells anyone how he memorised the entire Tirukkural in just 45 days in prison and won the competition.

Studies have found that educational and skill-based activities help inmates with stress management and emotional stability within prison and after their release. With several crimes linked to a lack of education and employment opportunities, offering prisoners access to learning can help open new avenues for rehabilitation and reintegration. Across the country, several success stories have emerged from behind bars. In Tamil Nadu, G Perarivalan, a former convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, got his BCA and MCA degrees while in prison.

The Tamil Nadu govt is helping prisoners lead a dignified life. Tamil Nadu is the only state to have a discharged prisoners aid society functioning for more than 100 years. Through the society, monetary aid is given to discharged prisoners to undertake smaller businesses in case they are denied jobs. "We also have committees for the welfare of ex-convicts at district level, headed by collectors. The committee periodically addresses the concerns of discharged prisoners," says Dayal.

"We are now planning to impart skill development for discharged prisoners. Along with the department of criminology of the Madras University, we are planning to introduce a ‘sentence plan' and ‘release plan' for prisoners." The sentence plan will engage prisoners while they serve their sentence. "In the release plan, we will work with them to decide what skills can be imparted a year or two before their release to enable a soft landing into society."

Recently, officials of the prison department held talks with automobile giants such as Hyundai and Royal Enfield to create jobs for discharged prisoners. The prisons department is also mulling over the idea of setting up fuel stations for released prisoners just as they have for those in prison.

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