Jails across Pakistan overcrowded

Islamabad, May 9: Jails in Pakistan house 57 per cent more prisoners than their authorised capacity and two-thirds of the total prison population is either awaiting or undergoing trial as compared to 27 per cent at the international level, according to a report. The report, prepared by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Cursor Development and Education (CODE) Pakistan, said overcrowding in prisons often results in deplorable living conditions for inmates and prison staff, spread of disease and other problems, Dawn news reported on Wednesday.

‘Addressing Overcrowding in Prisons by Reducing Pre-Conviction Detention in Pakistan’ also said that in order to prevent a major health crisis in Pakistan’s eight most overcrowded prisons — exhibiting an occupancy rate 300 per cent to 500 per cent higher than official capacity — there should be an urgent prison assessment to ensure prisoners’ quarters were well-ventilated. (IANS)

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