NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, INDIA (3) The Commission approved research proposal titled ‘From Cell to Society: A Study on the re-integration of Released Prisons in Kerala and Tamil Nadu’ by Dr. R. Santhosh, Asst. Professor (Sociology), Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, Chennai on 14.09.2018. The duration to complete the research project is nine months with a financial assistant of Rs. 11,23,375/. Purpose of the Study i. To examine the psychological factors affecting the released prisoners. ii. To look into the complex process of social integration in which are number of components like familial relations, role of community dealing with social stigma and discrimination and so on. iii. To understand the questions related to livelihood issues and economic independence. iv. To reflect on the efficacy of various schemes & programmes in the prison as well as on the wider social factors including social stigma, livelihood issues, familial conditions etc. Aim: To explore the theme of social integration of released prisoners from central prisons of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Objectives and scope (4) 80 i. To examine & evaluate the role of various welfare & skill enhancement programmes in the prisons in facilitating successful integration of released prisoners in the study. ii. To examine the challenges faced by released prisoners in integrating with the wider society in terms of psychological, social, economic familial hardships & the strategies they adopted to overcome this. iii. To identify the supporting mechanism facilitated by both state as well as civil society organizations that enable released prisoners to get integrated in the society. iv. To examine the incidences & contributing factors for recidivism among the released prisoners. v. To make policy suggestions to facilitated better social integration of released prisoners. The Commission has awarded a pilot study on ‘Undertrial Prisoners for the State of Uttar Pradesh’ to Centre for Equity Studies (CES). The main objectives of the study is to establish their social demographic profiles including age, gender, religion, social category, domicile and education and also to know what offence have the undertrial been charged with. The final report submitted by the CES was considered by the Commission on 03.03.2017 and directed “the Secretariat is to examine and list out the recommendations which are practical, feasible and tenable. They will also be listed as per the authority to which it is to be sent i.e. the State Govt., State police, Judiciary and Prison Department. The same is under consideration by the Commission. ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19