Overcrowded prisons

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YOUR paper on many occasions wrote about prison reforms. But we think the write-ups did not produce the expected result. The country's prisons are highly overcrowded as reported by the jail authorities. There are over 87,000 inmates in the jails across the country against the space for only 27,451. This is an appalling situation. We understand what are the existing conditions in the jails. We also understand the difficulties the authorities are facing while maintaining administration, discipline, physical environment and constant supply of utilities. The number of prisoners doubled in a decade, but the space remained the same.

The administration is sure to collapse if the conditions in jails deteriorate. Reportedly, inmates there are forced to sleep in shifts and wait in long queues to use bathrooms. We can assume serious water scarcity and lack of other basic facilities. Overcrowding usually criminalizes the young under-trial prisoners.

The country needs more jails. We also need shifting of the Dhaka Central Jail to a more spacious location. We heard that a new jail would be constructed at Keraniganj. It should be done at the earliest. The relocations of the central jail would provide the old Dhaka a much-needed breathing space. Prisoners should not be subjected to inhuman conditions in the prisons. This is nothing but to deny them their fundamental rights.

Aref Khan

Eskaton

Dhaka