Prisons in India

Prisons in India are mainly categorised as central, district and sub-jails. While these jails handle most long-term and short-term inmates, there are five other types of jails including for women and Borstal schools. As per the Constitution of India, prisons fall under the State List, making their administration the responsibility of State Governments. There are 1332 prisons in India as of end-2023, up from 1319 in 2021, with a total capacity to house 4,39,119 prisoners. Rajasthan has the highest number of prisons (155), while Uttar Pradesh reported the highest capacity (65,866).

In 2023, the total number of prisoners nationwide was 5,30,333. 73.5% of all prisoners were undertrials, 25.6% were convicts, while 0.7% were detenues (detainees).

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of prisoners increased 13% from 2020 to 2021, making over 80% of the prisons overcrowded. After a Supreme Court order, a number of prisoners were released in 2020 to decongest the jails in view of the pandemic, reducing the overall prison occupancy in 20 states and two Union Territories to a little over 93%. However, the occupancy rate increased to 130% again by 2021, before dropping to 120.8% in 2023. End-2023 occupancy rates ranged from 200.2% in Delhi to 4.7% in Lakshadweep. Among the major states, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Telangana reported less than 100% occupancy.

Indian jails are overcrowded and eight out of ten prisoners await trial. In 2023, 150 unnatural deaths took place in Indian prisons, including 96 suicides, down from 185 in 2021.

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