Overcrowded prisons need urgent attention

The 75 prisons located around Bangladesh have a collective capacity to accommodate 45,186 inmates. But they are currently housing 98,233—nearly double the capacity. We cannot fathom how these prisons are functioning with such overcrowding. The direness of this situation was acknowledged even by the home minister at parliament a couple of months ago. The inhuman conditions in which the prisoners live is certainly a violation of the basic rights every human is entitled to, and urgent reform is needed to remedy that.

A report by this daily revealed that there is a severe crisis of doctors attending to such a huge number of inmates. Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, for instance, has only two attached doctors, with no permanent physician for its 13,958 inmates. The jail authorities say at least 500 inmates come to its outpatient facility every day, placing huge pressure on the two doctors. Of the 151 sanctioned posts for prison doctors across the country, only two have been filled; the remaining 73 prisons have to depend on part-time doctors from the civil surgeon offices. There is a severe shortage of nurses and ambulances as well, the latter making it difficult to take critically ill inmates to the hospital. Last year, a total of 187 prisoners died; this year, 122 have died so far.

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The prison system is in urgent need of reform

As a result, the prisoners’ health conditions are heavily impacted. There is also an unofficial payment system that determines who can get better sleeping arrangements and better food. The more a prisoner can pay, the slightly better the conditions. Endless discussions have taken place on improving prison conditions, with little visible impact. New prisons have been built but the roots of overcrowding have been left unaddressed.

This state of affairs is unacceptable. The government must look into the causes of this overcrowding and see whether all arrests have been lawful. The media has reported, on several occasions, about individuals languishing in jail for years because of mistaken identity, lack of legal representation, lengthy trials, denial of bail, and false cases. The validity of the cases and the duration of the trials needs to be properly assessed. Often during the special drives initiated by the law enforcement agencies, prisons get overcrowded. For instance, in June-July this year, more than 26,000 people were sent to jail by mobile courts, though the sentences were short. It must be examined whether mass arrests during special drives are sending innocent people to jail, as we have witnessed in the past.

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Reform key to curbing custodial deaths

Along with reforms in infrastructure, it must be ensured that the basic needs of prisoners—proper healthcare, adequate nutritious food, clean accommodation, and proper sanitation—are met without fail. While punishment is the primary purpose of imprisonment, prisons must also provide an environment where prisoners can reform themselves so they don’t return to crime after release.