14 of Bihar's jails hold more than 150 percent of
their capacity.
Who cares about prisons? Do people languishing inside actually matter to us? Why are our prisons overcrowded? Is it because of the rise in crime, quicker 'justice' delivered in courts, or the lack of system both inside and outside prisons? Questions are enormous. Thus, it is pertinent to analyse the situation at hand.
There have been a series of attempts on prison reforms
in the Indian context in varied forms. Many debates have followed with the
basic understanding that prisons do not diminish crime rate, they may be seen
as a solution to tackle with crime but that cannot be the ultimate solution.
Also, prisons need constant improvement because they are undoubtedly a part of
the society.
With the ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court of India
pertaining to inhuman conditions in 1382 prisons in India, debates related to
prison reforms have started emerging. According to figures provided by the
government in Rajya Sabha in 2018, India's 1,412 jails are crowded to 114% of
their capacity, with a count of 4.33 lakh prisoners against a capacity of less
than 3.81 lakh until December 31, 2016. The 1,401 jails of 2015 have a break-up
of 741 sub-jails, 379 district jails and 134 central jails, the rest being open
jails, women's jails, special jails and other jails. There are only 18 women
jails in India comprising just over 1% of the total. Statistics clearly suggest
that the ratio of men entering the prisons is much higher as compared to women.
In 2016, 18,498 women were lodged in prisons against a capacity of 26,068, or
71%, while the 4,14,505 men overshot the capacity of 3,54,808 by 17%. There are
also examples of states where women have outnumbered men. Chhattisgarh had a
female occupancy of 186%, followed by Uttarakhand (141%), Delhi (138%), Goa
(120%) and Uttar Pradesh (117%). Goa showed a striking contrast: while its
women prisoners were 20% over capacity, men prisoners were less than 36% of
capacity. Overall, the state had among the lowest occupancies at 38%.
In 2017, Supreme Court of India had directed Chief
Secretaries of 18 States/UTs to review the progress of the various
constructions of jails/ barracks and take decisions on all proposals for
construction of additional jails/barracks and evaluate those prisons where
over-crowding is more than 150%. These included Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The affidavits
received by the amicus curiae, Gaurav Aggarwal, throw light on where we
stand.
It is shocking to note that prisons, both in UP and
Bihar display an image of complete neglect. There are eight central, 32
district and 18 sub-jails in Bihar. According to a report published in the
Business Line in 2017, all the 58 jails in Bihar are overflowing with inmates.
The situation worsened when 35,000 people were arrested and sent to jail under
the liquor law in the state since April 2016.
14 jails in Bihar are overcrowded beyond 150%. The
chart submitted to the Hon'ble Supreme Court in May, 2018 is
self-explanatory:
The information given by Bihar to address the above
problem is as follows:
But the main question still remains unanswered. Do we
have our systems in place to deal with overcrowding? Also, do we have timelines
for completing the projects and also can prisons get some attention please?
Like many other states, Bihar has also not provided
any specified time line for completing these projects. Also, the issue of
filling up the vacant posts remains unanswered.
4 comments:
I feel good to see that Tinka Tinka movement is doing such a great job. Finding faults of the jail and finding solutions was soemthingwe needed. We all know jails have a majority if human resources. What we can expect from them, if we won't keep them in a good condition. Congratulations to Vartika Ma'am for giving them chance that they deserve. #Vartikananda #prisoners #human_rights #humanity #change #tinkatinka
It is very bad news that the prisons in our country are in such a sad state. There are articles that talk about the horrible condition of prisons and how the prisoners are forced to stay in overcrowded jails. The basic function of a prison is to reform the inmates. But if this is the condition of prisons, then how can their reformation be possible? Even though a few measures are taken by the authorities, they are not enough. We need more open jails in our country. This article by Vartika Mam is an eye opener for the readers and I hope more people read it and become aware of the issue. #tinkatinka #prisonreforms #humanrights
The Supreme Court has time and time again reiterated that the inmates cannot be overcrowded in prisons. That just because they are behind the bars that doesn't mean that their human rights can be denied. But law making isn't concomitant with its implementation and thus, here we are trying to facilitate the implementation of these laws. #vartikananda #tinkatinka #jail #prison
Through Tinka Tinka Jail Reforms, Vartika Nanda has pioneered a movement in India focusing on prison reforms and reformation of the inmates by encouraging them through art, culture, literature, and media. She has written three books Tinka Tinka Tihar, Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh, Tinka Dasna, and gives a true representation of life inside prisons. Instead of sensationalizing, she has written about the true and lived experiences of inmates and even their children who unfortunately are also lodged inside prisons. She brings a softer side to inmates who are troubled because they can’t meet their families, but even the smallest of things gives them joy like music, dancing, painting, etc. Her newest initiative is opening a prison radio in Haryana, she has earlier done so in Agra. Workshops were held to train inmates and to develop their talents and creativity. The work of Dr. Vartika Nanda, the founder of the movement of prison reforms in India, is a testament to the idea that rehabilitation and not punishment is the answer. The radio will also keep the inmates informed about their rights and will give them respite in these challenging times of the pandemic when the inmates cannot have any visitors.#tinkatinka #tinkamodelofprisonreforms #awards #vartikananda #prisonreforms
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