Prisons in India continue to be overcrowded by undertrials, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• In 2024, Indian jails' occupancy rate dropped to 112.7%, a decade low, but overcrowding persists due to a high number of undertrials.
• India had 1,333 jails with a capacity of 4.53 lakh inmates, but housed over 5.11 lakh, leading to overcrowding.
• Undertrials constituted about 73% of the total inmate population in 2024.
• Delhi recorded the highest occupancy rate at 194% in 2024, while Jammu and Kashmir saw occupancy rates increase to 148%.
• High levels of staff vacancies exacerbate prison administration issues in states like Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.

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Detailed Insights:

• Overcrowding in prisons strains resources, compromises living standards, and limits access to healthcare and rehabilitation.
• Prison capacity increased by 24% between 2015 and 2024 due to renovations and expansions across 2,268 prisons.
• A Parliamentary Committee recommended constructing new facilities, transferring inmates, and providing free legal aid to address overcrowding.
• While the share of undertrials decreased from 77% in 2021, it remains higher than pre-COVID levels.
• Delhi and Bihar had the highest share of undertrial population, with over 87% of inmates being undertrials.
• High staff vacancies, with almost half of sanctioned posts vacant in several States/UTs, further worsen prison conditions.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Undertrials: Individuals who are currently under trial in a court of law and are in judicial custody.
• Occupancy Rate: A measure of how full a prison is, calculated by dividing the number of inmates by the prison's capacity.
• Prison Capacity: The officially approved number of inmates a prison facility is designed to hold.