Rejection, discrimination and suspicion: Ex-convicts open up about life after prison

As soon as Jahangir (not his real name) stepped out of the prison gate, it strongly reminded him of Baker Bhai from Kothao Keu Nei. In the hit 1990s television drama, the character Baker Bhai was falsely imprisoned and hanged at the end. 

In 1999, when Jahangir was arrested, he was an occasional substance abuser. He claims he got in the middle of a huge drug feud for just being an addict and was in prison for almost five years.

For a long time, after he was released, he did not attend family functions or weddings; he was scared of what people would say.

"I went to my mama's [maternal uncle's] house one afternoon. I kept ringing the doorbell but no one opened the door. I knocked on the door several times. When I realised they were not going to let me in, I left," Jahangir said, adding, "Maybe they thought I came with a bad intention, I don't know."

There was another incident which still deeply troubles him. He went to a cousin's house, and as soon as his wife spotted him, she hid her new, expensive smartphone in the almirah. "Was I there to steal it? No, but she made it look like I was," Jahangir said.  

Should prisoners' reintegration into society be looked at differently? Should an ex-convict be given another chance at a better life? These questions hardly arise in our society.  

"If society cannot accept us, at least it shouldn't drag us down. Why do people come to conclusions about others without knowing their background?" he said in a frustrated voice.    

Salam (not his real name), was in prison for 17 years. 

"I used to tell people about my prison history but I no longer do. Every time I did, it went against me. I want to marry, settle down, but no one wants to give their daughter to me," he said.    

In 2005, when Khilgaon Flyover was just inaugurated, Salam, then in his 20s, went to see it along with a group of friends. "On our way back, we saw an accident. There was a big crowd at the spot and all of a sudden a fight broke out. Then the police came."

He claims he was randomly picked out of the crowd along with others by the police and framed for a murder he did not commit. 

He feels there is no reason why he should still be treated like a criminal, or judged for his past. "People's perception is really problematic. They think whoever went to prison is a bad person because they stayed with other bad people. But I have never harmed anyone, neither in prison nor outside."

Both Salam and Jahangir told us they never received any training inside the prison on how to adjust to the outside world. They were not prepared to face the stigmas associated with being a prisoner.  

Jahangir recalled an incident that happened years after he got out and it still hurts him. "Once my nephew was being mischievous with other children. One of my family members got irritated and shouted at him, 'Your uncle was a criminal, you will also become one'." 

'They did not trust me with their belongings'

Born in a Hindu family in Laxmipur, Noakhali, Salam's family abandoned him after he converted to Islam in the 1990s. Eventually they sold their house and settled in India. 

In 2016, the judge court gave Salam death sentence. He said that with the help of two lawyers, he was released from all charges in January 2022. "Judge asked the state to compensate for imprisoning me for so many years. I finally got released in March 2022." 

For a while, he stayed in a mess. The mess members maintained a distance with him, making sure they never spoke with him, ate with him or remained alone with him in the same room. "They did not trust me with their belongings, as if I was a thief. They never left their phones in charge when I was in the room." 

Salam's uncle still lives in Noakhali. His nieces were schoolgoers when he was arrested. He said he tried to establish contact with them but received no response whatsoever. "They are my blood, my family. My heart yearns to see them, talk to them," he said. 

'Even the doctor looks at me differently now'

"I went to a doctor once. The moment he heard I was in prison was the moment he changed his attitude towards me. He began to treat me differently. I did not like the experience one bit," Salam said.

We asked him, "Can you elaborate on why you went to the doctor and exactly what he said?" His reply was a curt "No." 

These days, he sleeps on the verandah of an embroidery shop in Dhanmondi where he works. He left the mess. "I even rented a room but I had to leave that area because people were constantly pointing out that I was a prisoner." 

'Good people still exist'

When Jahangir's mother first saw him after he came out from prison, she "did not say anything to me, just kept on crying." 

He is now married with children but remembers how difficult it was for his wife in the beginning. When they decided to get married around 10 years ago, his in-laws wanted to file a case against him. "My aunt-in-law said they would rather have their daughter dead than marry a 'jail-khata ashami' [convict]."

However, his wife did not mind his past. "I think if anything, she found it a bit interesting. She probably wanted to see what prisoners looked like!" said Jahangir, perhaps to lighten the mood. 

Although the mess members did not like his presence, the mess owner had no issues with Salam staying there. "He knew my history but he had no problem with it. In fact, when he went to his village for holidays he left the building keys to me. He trusted me."

"Good people still exist. Like one of my lawyers, Advocate Alamgir, who let me stay at his house for 20 days. He did not let me buy a smartphone and spend the little money I had from doing tailoring work in the prison, he gave me one of his," said Salam.

Professor Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar, former director of National Institute of Mental Health, said our work and our principle (regarding former prisoners' reintegration) do not match. "The principle behind sending someone to prison is correction; so that the person becomes better and when released from prison, will return to the society and lead a good life, and hopefully not go back to doing anything illegal. But in our country, the whole idea behind putting someone behind bars is revenge and not correction." 

He said the punishment starts long before the person is actually sent to the prison. "Those who are in prison almost never receive any treatment for their mental health issues and the whole environment is not good for their mental health. But we must bring this issue [of mental health] to every level."