INDIA JAILS ARE OVERCROWDED, UNDERSTAFFED, FINDS NCRB

New Delhi, Aug. Jails across India remained overcrowded in 2019 with these facilities lodging 4.78 lakh prisoners against the actual capacity of 4.03 lakh, reveals the latest data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

On the other hand, the prisons were understaffed with a sanctioned strength of

87,599, while the actual strength was 60,787 as on December 31, 2019, the data showed.

The actual capacity of prisons has increased to

4.03 lakh in 2019 from

3.91 lakh in 2017 and 3.96 lakh in 2018 (as on December 31 of these respective years), it said.

The number of prisoners lodged in various jails increased to 4.78 lakh in 2019 from 4.50 lakh in 2017 and 4.66 lakh in 2018 (as on December 31 of each year).

The total number of prisons in the country were 1,361, 1,339 and

1,350 at the end of 2017,

2018 and 2019, respectively. The occupancy rates during the period rose steadily at 115.1 per cent,

117.6 per cent and 118.5 per cent, respectively, according to the data.

Out of the 4.78 lakh prisoners in 2019, 4.58 lakh were men and

19,913 women, the NCRB, under the Union home ministry, stated.

The total 1,350 prisons in the country in 2019 consisted of 617 sub jails, 410 district jails,

144 Central jails, 86 open jails, 41 special jails, 31 women jails, 19 Borstal School and two other jails, it added. The Central jails had the highest capacity of inmates (1.77 lakh) followed by district jails

(1.58 lakh) and sub jails

(45,071) last year.