Rani Dhavan Shankardass

Rani Dhavan Shankardass is an Indian social historian and global expert on prison reform. She is the Secretary General of Penal Reform and Justice Association (PRAJA) and the President of Penal Reform International. Dr Dhavan Shankardass has written extensively on social history and human rights. Notable published works include The First Congress Raj: Provincial Autonomy in Bombay (Macmillan, 1982), Vallabhbhai Patel: Power and Organization in Indian Politics (Orient Longman, 1986), Punishment and the Prison: Indian and International Perspectives (Sage, 2000) (an edited multi-disciplinary volume that spanned history, sociology, law, justice and gender), and Barred from Life and Scarred for Life: The Experiences of Women in the Criminal Justice System in India (PRAJA, 2004). Her most recent publications are Of Women Inside: Prison Voices from India (Routledge, 2011) and In Conflict and Custody: Therapeutic Counselling of Women (Sage, 2012).