Review of Development and Change

Jodhka, Surinder S.

doi: 10.1177/09722661261438899pmid: N/A

Sapra, Ipsita; Prakash, Aseem

doi: 10.1177/09722661261443395pmid: N/A

Over the years, prisons across the world have evolved from being sites of punitive confinement for individuals participating in activities considered unlawful in a specific sociopolitical context to correctional facilities offering opportunities for redemption and eventual reintegration. In India, successive prison reforms have advocated for the humanitarian treatment of incarcerated individuals. The present study, based on an evaluative study of prison reforms in Telangana, critically examines the ways the reform is conceptualised and operationalised through an intertwined relationship between discipline and welfare. Focusing on the strict control over time, this article explores how this both constrains and enables the restoration of personhood. Drawing on in-depth interviews and field observations across multiple prisons, the study finds that although reforms have improved living conditions and services, welfare is often framed as a reward for conformity, which can erode personhood. The article argues that for prison reforms to be truly transformative, there is a need for reimagination that goes beyond the conventional carceral framework and engages more meaningfully with the diverse lived experiences and aspirations of incarcerated individuals.

Kantola, Karoliina

doi: 10.1177/09722661261439012pmid: N/A

Baidya, Shounak; Jobayer, Ahamed

doi: 10.1177/09722661261439478pmid: N/A

Gamit, Anju; Sahu, Gagan Bihari

doi: 10.1177/09722661261447762pmid: N/A

While alcohol consumption in tribal communities is integral to their cultural, religious and social life, it is also a source of financial stress and family disruption, often linked to domestic violence. Alcohol-induced intimate partner violence remains severe and often hidden, with many cases unreported due to the stigma, shame and fear experienced by women. Drawing on primary data collected from 150 tribal women, this article aims to understand their experience with domestic violence as a result of alcohol consumption within their families. Kernel density estimation (KDE) was used to analyse the age distribution of women experiencing domestic violence, and a χ2 test was employed to investigate relationships between these factors. The findings highlight the critical need for targeted interventions to address the interconnected factors contributing to domestic violence. The study also emphasises the need to strengthen support systems, educational opportunities, awareness, legal counselling, skill development and income-generating activities to reduce domestic violence and improve the well-being of tribal women.

Bordoloi, Mridusmita; Bedamatta, Rajshree

doi: 10.1177/09722661261443379pmid: N/A

Care needs of a large proportion of Indian households are managed primarily through women’s unpaid labour, which restricts their labour market participation. During 2023–2024, the majority of Indian women missing from the labour force cited child care responsibilities and homemaking commitments as key reasons for this situation. Limited participation of government and private sectors in care provisioning and social reproduction of workers has led to inadequate access to paid care services, creating further challenges. Applying a framework developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to define care services as an economic sector, this article finds that India’s care sector is at a nascent stage of development, with the care workforce comprising 5.9% of total employment in 2023–2024. Excluding education and health sectors that account for a significant proportion of the care workforce, personal care services for children, the elderly, disabled and specially abled people employ a much smaller proportion of the care workforce. With increasing economic participation of women, expanding the provisioning of personal care services and ensuring affordability becomes crucial to avoid a care crisis in households. Policy interventions for care sector development through government and private sector investment need to focus on ensuring decent work conditions and social protection for care workers. Considering the higher concentration of women in the care sector, it is crucial for such interventions to be gender-sensitive.