Men share shame and advocate for prison reform

Pratik Doshi of the UK concealed his two-year prison sentence for drug offenses from his family, feeling shame rooted in cultural expectations.

Doshi, 30, initially lied to relatives, pretending he was still in university while incarcerated. After his release, he began working with Breakthrough Social Enterprise, a government-funded program that teaches IT and artificial technology skills to former convicts in areas like Suffolk and Norfolk, helping them find employment.

Doshi’s friend and co-defendant, Sobanan Narenthiran, now the CEO of Breakthrough, also served time in HMP Exeter for cannabis offenses. Narenthiran noted that the prison system often fails people with language barriers or lacking family support, and he and Doshi were wrongly placed on the “foreign national wing” despite being British citizens. He also described racial tension and slurs within the prison, particularly at Exeter, which a 2024 report identified as having high rates of violence.

Both men now advocate for racial equality in prisons, drawing on their experiences as minorities from underserved communities. They recently visited Parliament to push for reform. Neah Tuohy, who served 12 years for a violent assault, now directs Her Storyy CIC, a charity focused on preventing young girls from entering the criminal justice system, emphasizing the importance of early intervention.

HMP Exeter stated it has implemented an action plan to address equality concerns, and the HM Prison and Probation Service says it investigates allegations of racism.