CHRI's  director Sanjoy Hazarika and head of its Prison reforms programme Madhrima Dhanuka, who are co-editors of the book Hope Behind Bars, Stories from Indian Prisons published by Pan MacMillan India, were interviewed in depth by Frontline magazine on the state of prisons in India and why prison reforms haven't taken off.

 

Hazarika and Dhanuka had earlier spoken at the launch of their book, CHRI's first by an international publisher, at its launch on March 10 at the India International Centre to a packed hall which included top lawyers, former senior police officials, students, diplomats, representatives of philanthropic organization and members of CHRI's India EC, including its Chair Mr Wajahat Habibullah, the former Central Information Commissioner. 

 

The book was launched by Justice Deepak Gupta, former judge of the Supreme Court, who described the book as "scarring" and spoke of the need to urgently ensure that justice reaches those who were unjustly  incarcerated.  Justice Madan Lokur, formerly of the Supreme Court, moderated the session and said that reforms had waited too long and that the number of undertrials in Indian jails had soard to 76% of the country's total prison population. Senior Advocate Vrinda Grover suggested that the criminal justice system should be renamed as the criminal legal system because justice was inadequately served by it.