Undertrials constitute 74.06 per cent of the total prison population in the country

According to the statistics relating to the jail population in the country, compiled by the Custodial Justice Cell of the National Human Rights Commission, a total of 2,25,817 persons out of the jail population of 3,04,893 persons are undertrials. This analysis is based on data as of 30 June 2002 that was obtained from all the States and Union Territories.





Among the States/UTs, 100% of the prison population in Dadra & Nagar Haveli are undertrials while the figure for Meghalaya is 94.66%, Manipur - 92.19%, Jammu & Kashmir - 91.67%, Nagaland - 89.87%, Uttar Pradesh – 87.37%, Bihar - 86.27%, Jharkhand - 83.24%, Mizoram – 79.14%, Karnataka – 79.34% and Delhi - 78.52%. Andaman & Nicobar among the UTs and Tamil Nadu among the States have recorded the least number of undertrials, 24.05% and 36.16% respectively.





The authorized jail capacity in the country is 2,32,412, resulting in an over- crowding of 31.19%. The maximum overcrowding in jails is in Delhi, which has an overcrowding of 217%. Delhi is followed by Jharkhand with165%, Chhatisgarh - 110%, Gujarat and Haryana -100% each, Bihar-74%, Sikkim-72%, Uttar Pradesh-70%, Madhya Pradesh -66%, Orissa - 54%, Goa- 39%, Tripura - 35%.

Conversely, some States/UTs have recorded an idle capacity in their jails. Manipur has 66.07%% idle capacity followed by Jammu & Kashmir – 58.55%, Daman & Diu – 57.50%, Chandigarh – 57.30%, Tamil Nadu – 55.62%, Nagaland – 47.24%, West Bengal – 22.88%, Rajasthan – 22.67%, Dadra & Nagar Haveli – 22.5%, Kerala – 9.4% and Pondicherry – 7.21%.





Women account for 3.42% of the total jail population. There are 10,414 women prisoners in Indian jails. The percentage of women prisoners is the highest in Mizoram – 10.19%, followed by Tamil Nadu – 6.59%, Dadra & Nagar Haveli – 6.45%, Andhra Pradesh – 5.52% Kerala – 5.38%, Punjab - 5.35%, West Bengal - 4.85%,.Manipur – 4.53% and Delhi - 4.52%.





Children less than 5 to 6 years of age are permitted to live with their mothers in jails. 1369 women in jails have their children living with them of whom, 234 are in West Bengal, 219 in Uttar Pradesh, 196 in Bihar and 138 in Madhya Pradesh.





It has further been analyzed that India has on an average, 29.69 prisoners per lakh of population. This is as high as 700 per lakh of population in the USA, 650 in Russia, 400 in South Africa, 300 in Thailand, 132 in UK and 102 in Canada as per International Centre for Prison Studies, King College, London.