In 2021, the crisis was most acute in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, where occupancy rates crossed 180 per cent.
In 2021, the crisis was most acute in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, where occupancy rates crossed 180 per cent.
A news report published in Hindu On Sunday, the Border Security Force (BSF) in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district was handing over illegal migrants to Bangladeshi authorities as jails in the state were flooded. The report said that if normal procedures were followed, these illegal migrants would have been kept in correctional homes.
The story sheds light on an old problem Overcrowded Prisons in India, Figures show that in the latest year 2021, for which numbers are available, over 5.54 lakh people were jailed, while the total capacity of Indian prisons was around 4.25 lakh. This means that the occupancy rate in Indian prisons was 130 per cent, a peak at least in the past decade.
breaking point
chart 1 Shows the capacity, actual number of prisoners and occupancy rate of Indian prisons over the last decade. While the capacity has increased from 3.32 lakh to 4.25 lakh in the last decade – an increase of 27% – the number of prisoners has increased from 3.7 lakh to 5.54 lakh in the same period – an increase of 48%. Due to this imbalance the occupancy rate has increased from 112% to 130% in the last decade.
Hover over the chart to find the exact figures
Charts appear incomplete? Click To remove AMP mode
The pan-India problem of jails overflowing has become worse in the last decade. However, it was most intense in the three northern states/UTs – Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. In these three areas, the occupancy rate crossed 180 per cent in 2021 (180 prisoners for every 100 vacancies). Notably, in these three areas, the occupancy rate in 2011 ranged between 60% and 75%. In fact, of the 36 states and union territories analysed, occupancy rates have increased in 26 of them over the past decade. And in 18 of them, the occupancy rate exceeded 100% in 2021.
chart 2 Shows the occupancy rates of selected states/UTs in 2011 and 2021. The highest growth was seen in Delhi, where the occupancy rate increased from 60% to 183% – an increase of 122% mark. Among the major states, a significant decrease was observed in Chhattisgarh and Punjab, where occupancy rates decreased by 108 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively.
Bangladeshi nationals dominate the foreign prisoner population in India. Most of the foreign prisoners are lodged in jails in West Bengal as the state shares a long border with the neighboring country.
Click To subscribe to our data newsletter
chart 3 Represents foreign prisoners held in the jails of West Bengal as part of total foreign prisoners. While there has been a slight decline in recent years, the stock has remained consistently above 30%. The chart also shows the share of Bangladeshi undertrials in total foreign undertrials in Indian prisons. The stock has remained above the 35% mark in recent years.
When read with the fact that the occupancy rate in West Bengal’s prisons has increased from 70% to 120% in the past decade, the BSF’s recent decision to hand over illegal migrants to Bangladesh seems justified.
vacant post
While prisons are overcrowded, vacancies for prison officers are alarmingly high in some states. In addition, the amount of money spent on each prison inmate varies widely across states. chart 4 Against the amount spent per prisoner in Plot Jail Officer Vacancy 2019 Rs. in 2019-20. More than 60% officer posts were vacant in Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand. and in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra, less than Rs. In 2019-20, Rs 20,000 was spent on each prisoner.
vignesh.r@thehindu.co.in and rebecca.varghese@thehindu.co.in
Source: “Prison Statistics India” Report of the National Crime Records Bureau
Read also: data | Justice delayed: 1 crore cases pending for more than 5 years, 76% prisoners are under trial