Former Tihar Inmates Rebuild Lives Through Education and Legal Work
Former inmates released from Delhi's Tihar prison are rebuilding their lives through formal education and using their experiences to provide legal aid and social support to people still behind bars.
For 28-year-old Lakshman, who walked out of Tihar prison in 2022 after serving seven years in connection with a 2015 murder case, re-entering society presented steep challenges, including learning how to navigate smartphones and digital payments. While in prison, he worked in the canteen earning ₹85 a day to support his family, completed Class 12, began a Bachelor of Arts degree, and enrolled in the BetterLife Prison School programme. Today, Lakshman works as a field lead with Project Second Chance, an initiative of the TYCIA Foundation, delivering gender sensitisation, mental health counselling, and legal support to inmates and released prisoners across Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Haryana.
Similarly, 27-year-old Karan Kumar reconstructed his career through education after being sent to Tihar in June 2017 following a school fight that led to another student's death. While incarcerated until his release in April 2025, Kumar completed Class 12 in 2018, pursued a BA from Delhi University alongside a Bachelor of Social Work, and trained with the prison legal cell to draft bail petitions and RTI replies. Inspired by his elder sister, who became a practising advocate in the Delhi High Court during his incarceration, Kumar now works with the Kunji helpline and Project ALT (Access to Legal Aid Through Tech) to assist inmates and their families.
Another former inmate, 44-year-old Jeevan Waghmare, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005, completed a BA in History, postgraduate degrees in sociology and history, and a postgraduate diploma in human rights from the Indian Institute of Human Rights in New Delhi while in prison. Waghmare taught fellow inmates, helped draft legal applications, and became a practising lawyer following his release in 2022 to assist prisoners navigating the justice system.
Those who went through the correctional system noted that formal education, mental health support, and paralegal training within prisons play a critical role in overcoming societal stigma and facilitating successful post-release reintegration.
