“Prison jurisprudence
since the late ‘60s recognizes that prisoners
do not lose all their rights because of imprisonment. Yet,
there is a loss of rights
within custodial institutions, which continue to occur.
There is little to indicate that there has been any fundamental
re-thinking on this matter.”
Source: HUMAN RIGHTS IN INDIA- MAPPING
by Usha Ramanathan
Voluntary Action for Rehabilitation and Development
(VARHAD) is an organization working towards crime prevention,
reformation in custody and reintegration of prisoners and their
families into society. We currently operate within the Vidharbha
region of Maharashtra, which includes two central prisons and
four district prisons. VARHAD positions itself as a helping hand
for socially marginalized groups, who are lured or pushed into
the world of crime. Our work projects us as one of the most prominent
Indian organizations, working towards crime prevention.
At the onset, our focus was only on rehabilitation of released
prisoners. Lately we have included many more initiatives, which
include care for prisoners in custody and reintegration of convicts
and their families into civil society.
VARHAD has a committed staff and huge corpus
of dedicated volunteers who work within and outside the system.
Our constant interaction with the police and judiciary in campaigning
for convicts, has established us as a well-meaning, professional
organization, working towards an urgent worthy cause. .
