From incarceration to reintegration: A qualitative analysis on Inmate’s trauma at Kannur Central Prison, India

Prisoners are confined in a correctional facility for their criminal charges or convictions. They have varied criminal backgrounds, histories, and living conditions which would have shaped their journeys. Society always judges them through the lens of their crimes and offenses but prisoners are also human beings who undergo profound emotional, psychological, and sometimes transformative realms which are often influenced by their trauma and isolation. Inmate’s trauma is often overlooked since it is all about their personal struggles and psychological scars. They are even relegated as the marginalized whose lives and experiences are overshadowed. This qualitative study constitutes carceral experiences, trauma, rehabilitation and reintegration strategies executed at Kannur Central Prison and Correctional Home, Kerala (a state in Southern India). An insightful interview was conducted on June 03, 2024 and the participants included the Superintendent, the Deputy Superintendent and the two Welfare Officers of Kannur Central Prison. In accordance with the granted permission (Annexure 1), a single interview was conducted over the course of 1 day with these four prison officers. Out of 24 Questions asked, few of them explored the basic details of the prison and its structure, then concentrated more on other multifaceted approaches that are undertaken by the prison administration to address the inmate’s rehabilitation and reintegration strategies like offering educational programs, vocational training, and psychological support. Insights from these interviews reveal the challenges the inmates undergo and it also highlights the roles and perspectives of each officer.