Mohit Raj

Mohit is spearheading a transformative shift in the stagnant prison reform ecosystem of India by directing focus towards the prison reform field itself, rather than a specific material change to prisons. His initiative, the Second Chance Fellowship, seeks to foster new leaders, ideas, and institutions for prison reform by empowering those closest to the issue—prisoners and ex-prisoners—to become social entrepreneurs developing solutions to various prison issues.

Recognizing the systemic deficiency of excluding valuable insights from those directly affected, Mohit has ingeniously shifted the responsibility for generating innovative solutions to committed stakeholders, notably inmates, and ex-inmates. His brainchild, the Second Chance Fellowship, is a pioneering initiative that channels fresh and credible reformation ideas from the very individuals grappling with the challenges of incarceration.

Initiated in 2017, the Second Chance Project is a trailblazing endeavor, the first of its kind in India, engaging inmates aged 18-40 as active contributors—dreamers, designers, and leaders—in crafting their own path to redemption. These inmates collaborate closely with academically inclined youth who share a passion for prison reform. Together, they identify and co-create practical, scalable solutions to prevalent issues within the criminal justice system. Mohit's strategic vision extends beyond generating solutions; it's a deliberate effort to reshape the mindset of decision-makers, challenging preconceived notions about who should design impactful programs. Aligned with the objectives of prison system gatekeepers, the Director Generals of Prisons, Mohit advocates for the institutionalization and widespread adoption of this innovative model.

The success of this collaborative approach is evident in the testing, incubation, and institutionalization of 10 projects co-created by these diverse groups. Beyond prison walls, Mohit recognizes the untapped potential in the skill sets and lived experiences of ex-inmates. His emphasis on crime prevention involves mobilizing and training released individuals to take a proactive role in the community, engaging with stakeholders invested in at-risk youth. Drawing on established community-based education methods and activating youth citizenship, ex-inmates empower community leaders, teachers, and parents with the knowledge and skills to prevent crimes in hotspots across India.

In essence, Mohit's core idea is a call to action to address the systemic inequities in access to justice for minorities. By creating leaders and institutions within the prison system that are shaped by the very individuals affected, he aims to break the chains of injustice and establish a more inclusive, representative, and effective approach to justice reform in India.

For far too long, the role of incarceration in India has been to warehouse criminals, as opposed to being a true rehabilitation and reintegration process. Anchored in social belief systems that value pitiless retribution and punitive action, even for the most meagre of crimes, the prison system in India is and has been designed to punish inmates. Hence decarceration has never been a central goal of the criminal justice system, with prisons merely acting as functionaries to house ‘bad’ people. Reforms, especially related to rehabilitation and reintegration programs of inmates have seldom been promoted, with the current system inviting partner NGOs and service providers to deliver workshops, training, and re-education. The effectiveness of these programs is not vetted nor are there feedback loops to strengthen the impact that they have.

As the incarcerated and guilty are seen as lost causes, historically there has been no avenue for these key stakeholders to contribute to the reform of the system. Furthermore, even those who have a vested interest in driving reform from the outside, such as social entrepreneurs, do not get the opportunity to make inroads. This contradicts the commonly believed perception that the most powerful ideas and solutions to problems come from the communities that are impacted by them. By leaving out inmates and other key stakeholders in the reform process, not only is the potential to create pathways for decarceration being closed off but the true human potential of a growing and marginalised group of people is not being nurtured.

Indian prisons face three long-standing structural constraints: overcrowding, understaffing, and underfunding. The inevitable outcome is subhuman living conditions, poor hygiene, and violent clashes between the inmates and jail authorities. The Prison Statistics 2019 report by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that overall national prison occupancy was 118.5%, with Delhi having the highest prison overcrowding at 174.9% - nearly 70% of these prisoners are on remand, meaning they have not even been convicted and are awaiting trial.

Including the above, a staggering reality underscores the foundation of Mohit's vision: 70% of prisoners belong to minority communities. This statistic reflects a profound injustice, signaling not only a disproportionate representation but also a systemic failure to provide adequate access to justice for these marginalized groups. Mohit's insight revolves around dismantling this inherent injustice by empowering the very individuals who are most affected—the prisoners themselves.

In 2017, Mohit embarked on a journey to reshape India's prison reform landscape, recognizing the need for innovative solutions rooted in the experiences and perspectives of those directly affected. Within the confines of Central Jail #5 in New Delhi, Mohit conducted an in-depth study, unveiling the untapped potential within inmates. This pivotal insight laid the groundwork for the Second Chance Fellowship, an unprecedented initiative that brings together college graduates and dedicated individuals with inmates, fostering collaboration to design, test, and implement systemic reform solutions.

To systematize and create a constant supply of innovation to reform such programs, Mohit launched Project Second Chance. Anchored in the insight that the inmates themselves needed to be the owners of the very programs they would be a part of, Mohit created a co-design platform for talented college graduates and skilled professionals to partner with groups of inmates to build effective prison programs. Partnering with universities, Mohit created a highly selective Fellowship program to bring in interested youth from fields such as Law & Justice and Arts & Humanity. These Fellows are then matched with inmates or ‘Peer Fellows’, who are carefully selected based on the recommendations of prison officials and administrators. Together, these groups spend 3 months first identifying the problems that exist within the system and over the next 15 months they co-create, prototype, test, and incubate solutions with the support of experts from Mohit’s team. By providing a 2,000-rupee stipend to inmates, which is paid by Mohit’s organisation and determined by the prison administration, the time and work of these ‘Peer Fellows’ are dignified and validated. These Fellows don’t just act as designers and creators of programs that hundreds of others around them will take part in, they also actively facilitate programs themselves, learning essential employability skills through this journey.

The inaugural fellowship cohort witnessed the inception of groundbreaking projects. Tabish's Better Life Prison School, a multifaceted initiative addressing education, life skills, livelihood post-release, drug de-addiction, and mental health, emerged as a beacon of holistic reform. Its success reverberated beyond Delhi, as Delhi Prisons adopted the program, extending its reach to Central Jail No. 4. The impact cascaded further, with Uttarakhand Prisons embracing the Better Life Prison School model, signifying the scalability and potential of this inmate-centric approach.

Eleena's Project Unlearn, dedicated to combating gender-based crimes, empowered 15+ ex-inmates to become leaders and facilitators. The initiative garnered recognition from the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), forging partnerships for observations in Delhi and Noida, training 400 juveniles. Project Unlearn's curriculum found acceptance and received incubation support from prestigious organizations, including the School of Social Entrepreneurship, Givfunds, and Changelooms.

Gauri's Project Kunji, focusing on post-release support, enlisted the collaboration of 50+ NGOs, extending services to ex-inmates. Partnering with India Vision Foundation, the project provided crucial support to inmates in Haryana Prisons, securing government documents. Delhi Prisons is on the verge of institutionalizing the helpline, with technical support from Project Second Chance, scheduled for launch in early 2024.

These projects transcend regional boundaries, affirming not only their local success but also their potential for replication and institutionalization. Moreover, the ongoing fellowship cohort, features ex-inmates returning to Project Second Chance as Fellows, signifying a paradigm shift in the initiative. These Fellows are now actively contributing to the co-creation of new projects addressing systemic issues in prison reform. Current fellowship projects include a trauma relief intervention with a skill training component for female inmates, the development of a peer support network within prisons to provide socio-emotional support, and interventions addressing issues like substance abuse and functional literacy.

Mohit's strategy of cultivating leaders and institutions within the prison system has not only transformed lives within Delhi but has become a dynamic force influencing prison reform initiatives across diverse states in India. Since its inception, the Second Chance project has incubated 10 impactful prison projects with the support of 25+ Fellows and numerous Peer Fellows. The projects, including Project Unlearn and PEHAL, established strong feedback loops and impact indicators, providing evidence for the transformative impact. Mohit leverages these successes to advocate for widespread adoption, cultivating champions for prison reform among authorities.

Mohit's fourfold approach to crime prevention involves community-level programs, school-based prevention initiatives, reformation in correctional institutes, and need-based rehabilitation programs. Over the last three years, through the various projects designed in the fellowship, 11,000+ prisoners have undergone workshops, witnessing a 40% growth in students' learning competency. Additionally, more than 60+ inmates are employed part-time within the prison's premises after completing their course.

With a focus on expanding this model across the nation, Mohit envisions creating a supply of innovators. By demonstrating the benefits of the model in the prominent prisons, he aims to encourage other prisons to follow suit. Mohit envisions extending the fellowship to the seven largest prisons in India, including Delhi, Dehradun, Guwahati, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Chennai. This strategic expansion aims to establish a widespread impact on prison reform initiatives, fostering a culture of innovation and inclusion throughout the nation's correctional institutions. Over the next 3-5 years, Mohit also aims to intensify advocacy and research, enhance staff capacity in prisons, and sustain the model across various correctional institutions, including juvenile and observation homes. The goal is for the Fellows to take their program across all prisons and correctional facilities across India.

Mohit grew up witnessing the challenges faced by underprivileged communities in India. Understanding the complexities of accessing mainstream education and staying engaged as well as other social problems he faced through his own lived experience, Mohit grew up wanting to solve these issues. The question Mohit always had in his mind was, how can the human capital of every single human being be nurtured and developed so that they can contribute effectively to the betterment of their community and country?

With this focus on his mind, Mohit first initiated his journey by addressing the issue most prevalent around him in Delhi, access, and continuation of education for children. He started a learning center in Delhi where he created spaces for children at the fringes of vulnerable social situations to come and study, in a manner that best suited them and with the resources they needed the most. Mohit’s goal was to first start to have a space for learning and then slowly integrated the students into mainstream education. 80% of the participants from the learning center enrolled and stayed in a public school to complete their high school education. For Mohit, experiencing this entrepreneurial and changemaking journey so early in his career was pivotal to shape the work he is doing today.

Wanting to understand broader human rights issues that were prevalent in India across many specific groups, Mohit took part in the Clinton Fellowship, which played an important role in developing his knowledge, networks, and frameworks for Human Rights work in India. Having the self-realization that exposure to existing social entrepreneurs and social reformers would be a pivotal part of his learning journey, Mohit joined the Changelooms program where he worked with communities of tribal farmers in Madhya Pradesh. Understanding the systemic issues that prevented these farmers from earning a livelihood, Mohit came to realize that these communities were stuck in a generational cycle of poverty, which was worsened by their children not getting regular access to education. The opportunity cost of going to school was often too high. Mohit leveraged his prior experience establishing learning centers and replicated this model, opening 50+ rural learning centers for children in Madhya Pradesh. He began the slow integration of students from the tribal communities into mainstream education through these centers. Over the next 3 years, Mohit focused on establishing strong grassroots teams and building community ownership for children’s learning.

Mohit realized that many of the youth he worked with over the years end up incarcerated unless they have the support systems and agency to find an alternate path. Once they are incarcerated, the system itself doesn’t prepare these youth for a life of full participation and growth in society once they are out. Mohit’s research made him realize that the fastest path towards human capital development for this forgotten group in society was by enabling them to find their agencies as reformers, contributors, and leaders. Spurred by the support of the Director-General of Delhi Prison, who saw potential in Mohit and his efforts in working with youth development in tribal communities and expressed interest in developing a collaborative effort to rehabilitate the young inmates of Tihar prisons. Mohit went on to design and launch his organization, Second Chance, to help build an ecosystem within the criminal justice system and outside of it that would allow incarcerated youth to shape their futures and those of others around them who are as vulnerable as they once were.