Prison Statistics<br>

The Custodial Justice Cell of the Commission compiling State/UT-wise statistics on jail population in the country. This is done by obtaining from the jail headquarters of each State/UT required information in a prescribed format every six months. The present report is based on the position as on 31 December 2004. The report points to the following facts:
· At least eleven States/UTs are experiencing overcrowding higher than the All India average of 39.0%. Jharkhand tops the list with 195.2%.
· At All India level, a declining trend in the percentage of undertrials has been noticed in the last 2 years where it has come down from 74.15% in December 2002 to 70.10% in December 2004. The States/UTs of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttaranchal are having undertrials less than all India level of 70.1%.
· Women account for 3.7% of the total jail population. Mizoram has the highest number of 9.9% of women prisoners above the All India average of 3.7%, Karnataka with 3.9% women prisoners has the least of them.

· Children up to the age of 5-6 years are permitted to live in jails with their mothers. A total of 12,276 women prisoners in the whole country were keeping 1570 children with them in jails as on 31 December 2004. Assuming that these mothers are having one child each with them in jail, 12.8% of women prisoners are found to be keeping their children in jails. Gujarat is the new entrant and is also holding the top position whereas Rajasthan has made an exit from this category in the present period. The proportion of women keeping children with them in jails is the highest in Gujarat 28.8% followed by UP 24.4%, Jharkhand 22.5%, Assam 22.3% and West Bengal 20.4%. No children were staying with their mothers in Jails of Andaman & Nicobar, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Pondicherry.
The analysis of the statistics shown that despite creation of additional capacity in various States/UTs as a result of modernization grant from Government of India, while overcrowding has decreased in 7 States and 2 Uts, it has increased in 11 States and 3 UTs. including UP, MP, Bihar, Orissa. Jharkhand and UT of Delhi continue to have highly overcrowded jails. While overcrowding has decreased in 7 States and 2 UTs, it has increased in 11 States and 3 UTs.
The proportion of under trial prisoners has come down and the proportion of women prisoners remains less than 4% of the total population.