ISLAMABAD—Pakistan is at 19 position in the index of 223 countries where prison population is against the capacity.
There are 98 jails in Pakistan accommodating over 84,000 prisoners against the capacity of 54,000. Unfortunately, around 74 percent of these inmates are under trial prisoners (UTPS).
Prison system in Pakistan is a legacy of colonial era. Time and again efforts were made to bring reforms to improve the system, and to uphold the fundamental rights of the inmates.
Supreme Court of Pakistan in suo-moto case (miserable condition of women and children in Jails) on May 28, 2015 directed that the Ombudsman offices may therefore form standing Committees and inspection teams to examine the systemic failures in the administration of the criminal justice system and the prisons in particular and make recommendations to rectify such failures and set good administration standards that if breached would be deemed to be maladministration.
The report has been submitted to the Ombudsman office which was compiled in collaboration with donors. The object is to bring improvement in the life of the prisoners with special focus on children and women in jails.
The finding of the report is that number of jails in Pakistan is 98, sanctioned capacity 56,353, present prisoners 78,160, convicted prisoners 25,195, UTPs 48780, women prisoners 1955, juvenile 1225 and condemned 4688.
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