Although rising felony rates continue to spark discussions on the different ways to curb crime, hardly any attention is paid to the question of how to rehabilitate criminals and ensure they do not become repeat offenders. Most criminals are ostracised and are often forced back into crime due to lack of employment opportunities, but at least 27 ex-cons in the state have found their way back into society through the efforts of the Ada-rsha Ganpati Mitra Mandal.

The members of Adarsha Ganpati Mitra Mandal donate a month’s salary for the rehabilitation programme

For the past seven years, the Dhankawadi-based mandal has been working to provide support and rehabilitation to ex-convicts. What originally began as a counselling programme for prisoners eventually took on a wider scope, as the mandal members realised that even if convicts wanted to make a change and earn an honest living, they were shunned by society and did not have adequate job prospects on leaving prison. This often left them with no choice but to resort to crime again in order to survive.