Pakistan prisons are a shame for any notion of justice and rehabilitation.
A report prepared by the National Human Rights Commission, the National Academy for Prison Administration and the Pakistan Justice Project describes the terrible conditions that prisoners have to endure: there are more than 102,000 of them crowded in spaces built for less than 66,000 . In Punjab, prisons are in an amazing 173.6pc of their capacity, while Karachi’s central prison operates with an overwhelming overcapacity of 355 pieces. The three quarters of the inmates remain in court, trapped in an endless legal limbo.
Despite some reform attempts, the Pakistan prison system has seen few significant changes. Punjab has led infrastructure expansions, building 13 new prisons since 2010, however, the province still houses 61,813 prisoners in facilities for 37,217. Meanwhile, Sindh, KP and Baluchistan are left behind, trusting obsolete facilities and policies that cannot relieve congestion.
The 2022 amendment to the Narcotic Substance Control Law has exacerbated overcrowding by eliminating probation and probation options for drug criminals. Almost 30 percent of Punjab prisoners consist of individuals convicted of drug -related crimes, many who comply disproportionately long sentences. Surprisingly, while conviction rates for narcotics cases collapsed only 2pc in Punjab in 2023, imprisonment rates shot.
It is a broken system: poor sanitation, malnutrition and lack of medical attention create inhuman conditions, with prisoners often forced to sleep in turns due to overcrowding. And generates a mental health crisis in which people with psychosocial disabilities are indefinitely arrested, subject to medical abuse and negligence. Khizar Hayat’s tragic case, a prisoner with mental illnesses who died chained to a hospital bed, is only one among many.
The solutions are not unknown. Sindh and KP have updated their legal frameworks for prisons. However, Punjab and Baluchistan have stagnated in key reforms, with Punjab still to implement their prison rules draft, 2022, which could significantly improve the well -being of prisoners. Most prisoners do not need to be behind bars; Community service and alternative judgment must be entered as viable options.
In addition, the population of subtrial prisoners can lose weight with bail reforms and accelerated judicial procedures. An important element to consider is an independent supervision. The NChr must be empowered to perform surprise inspections and establish a complaint mechanism of independent prisoners. Training and vocational education should be integrated into prison management to provide significant rehabilitation. Diversion programs are needed for minor crimes and people with psychosocial disabilities should receive treatment instead of being imprisoned.
A civilized society does not block people and forgets them. Our penitentiary crisis requires more than committees and reports. The need for time is political will and implementation of the proposals that have accumulated for decades.
Posted in Dawn, February 26, 2025
