FROM CONFINEMENT TO RECOVERY:SUBSTANCE ABUSE CHALLENGES IN INDIAN PRISONS AND INTERNATIONAL APPROACHES IN DETENTION CENTRES

Abstract

Through comparing the problem of substance abuse in Indian prisons through international perspectives, including the context of domestic experiences in comparison with international counterparts in detention centres, this research paper discusses the wide prevalence of substance abuse in Indian prisons as well as the issue underlined from a global perspective. This research serves to determine the prevalence, causes and effect of addiction among the incarcerated people in India during jail, to investigate structural problems like overcrowding, stigma and substandard hospital systems that interfere with the effective correction of the situation, and also the barriers in case of imprisonment. Using qualitative methodologies, the paper reviews literature, official reports and country best practice practices, based on literature from the United States, Norway, and Australia. Internationally, detention centres are more and more adopting holistic measures including therapeutic communities, harm reduction, inter-professional health care, and reintegration programs. Indian prisons are still predominantly punitive and there are few rehabilitation services and support systems for mental health disorders. Indeed, this comparative analysis stresses the need for a paradigm shift in India, advocating for evidence-based, health focused and rights-driven interventions. It ends with recommendations to increase the number of de-addiction service providers; implementation of harm reduction; investment in mental health aid and community; and reintegration. Such interventions are crucial to inmate well-being, recidivism reduction, and bringing India’s prison reforms in line with global best practices.