OVERCROWDING: OPEN PRISONS A SOLUTION

Given that Indian jails are so desperately over-crowded that conditions are subhuman, is it time to adopt an open jail system? The fact remains that overcrowding is a pressing issue involving “violation of human rights”, the Supreme Court said in a May 2018 order

In 2015, the prison occupancy rate — the number of inmates staying in jails against the authorised capacity — exceeded 200 per cent in Dadra and Nagar Haveli (276.7 per cent), Chhattisgarh (233.9 per cent) and

Delhi (226.9 per cent), according to the National Crime Records Bureau data. Prisons in other 13 states/UTs were also crowded.

Prison researcher Sm it a Chakraburtty, whohas interacted with 30,070 inmates in Biharjails, described prisons as so over crowded that inmates tied themselves to the bars to sleep because there was no space to lie down.

Adopting the concept of open prisons — or “semi-open prisons” — where eligible convicts could be allowed to work on the jail premises during the day, or in a factory after making special arrangements for their secured transport, would free up scarce resources in terms of funds as well as staff.

The Jaipur Central Jail spends 14 times as much as the Sanganer open prison — ~7,094 as against ~500 — on each prisoner each month, Chakraburtty said.

In the San ga nero pen prison, Raj a st han’ s largest with

a capacity of 400, one staff person manages 80 prisoners, while in Jaipur Central Jail, one manages six prisoners( the recommended ratio is 1:4).

Staff shortages are a reality in prisons. In Rajasthan, of the 4,426 sanctioned jail department staff positions, nearly half or 2,129 are vacant.

“A proactive approach in addressing the rights of prisoners is much needed,” said Ajay Chopra, an artist and social worker who was imprisoned in 2017 on corruption charges but was released on bail after three months. He now campaigns for greater acceptance of open prisons.