Prisons in Maharashtra plagued by overcrowding

The jails have an inmate population of 29,657, making its occupancy rate 112.8% in 2015

Prisons in Maharashtra continue to be burdened owing to the growing number of inmates lodged in jails across the state. The jails, which have the space to accommodate 26,303 prisoners, have an inmate population of 29,657, making its occupancy rate 112.8 % in 2015. In 2014, the occupancy rate in the state’s jails stood at 110.7%.

A prison can be called overcrowded if more inmates than the sanctioned strength are accommodated in it, stated the NCRB. (HT file photo)

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics, the Dadra and Nagar Haveli jail is the most burdened with an occupancy rate at 276.7% followed by the jails at Chhattisgarh (233.9%), Delhi (226.9%), Meghalaya (177.9%), Uttar Pradesh (168.8%), Madhya Pradesh (139.8%), Uttarakhand (136.4%), Kerala (118.3%), Punjab (117.8%), Jharkhand (114.3%), Maharashtra (112.8%), Himachal Pradesh (110.7%), Assam (109.7%), Haryana (109.3%), West Bengal (102.9%) and Rajasthan (102.4%).

A prison can be called overcrowded if more inmates than the sanctioned strength are accommodated in it, stated the NCRB. “In recent years, it is one of the biggest problems faced by prison inmates,” read its analysis.

NCRB statistics show that in Maharashtra, 3,965 – the highest number of convicts that includes 212 women – lodged in jail belong to the age group of 30 to 50 years, while 2,292 convicts are in the age group 18-30 years and 1,635 convicts are in the age group of 50 years and above.

“The most serious crimes, such as murder, are committed by convicts in the age group of 30 to 50 years,” said YP Singh, IPS officer-turned-lawyer.

In 2015, of the 1,34,168 convicts lodged in various jails across the country, 67,838 (50.6%) convicts were in the age group of 30 to 50 years, 42,295 (31.5%) convicts were in the age group of 18 to 30 years and 24,035 (17.9%) convicts were in age group of 50 years and above, revealed NCRB statistics.