More UTPs than convicts

The number of under-trial prisoners in jails across the country exceeds that of convicted prisoners, a recent report submitted in the supreme court has revealed. The fourth quarterly implementation report regarding the status of implementation of recommendations and improvement in jail conditions in Pakistan was submitted by the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat. According to the report, the present prison population is above the sanctioned capacity for prisons in Punjab, Sindh and K-P. In Punjab, the difference between capacity and the number of prisoners is 14,600, in Sindh it is 4,201 and it is 1, 229 in K-P. The number of convicts in Punjab is 17,56 while 26,725 are UTPs. In Sindh, there are 4,808 convicts and 12,431 UTPs. K-P has 2,794 convicts and 7,668 UTPs in prisons. In Balochistan’s jails, there are 798 convicts and 1,1184 UTPs. A few months ago, another report said the country’s prisons held 57 per cent more prisoners than their capacity, and two-thirds of them were UTPs. The latter report was jointly prepared by the National Counter Terrorism Authority, the ICRC and an NGO.

Overcrowding in jails is resulting in compromising medical and hygiene facilities being provided to prisoners. Accommodating prisoners beyond the capacity of jails also enhances the chances of better prisoners coming under the influence of bad ones. Overcrowded prisons reflect the socio-economic conditions of a country. It indicates the state of socio-economic justice, the state of rule of law, whether the courts of laws are efficient in deciding cases, and whether there are inordinate delays in dispensing justice. Those familiar with the issues concerning prisoners’ trials hold that delays mostly occur because of lethargy on the police’s side and also due to tendency to seek repeated adjournments. This tendency needs to be curbed. The low literacy rate of the country is also giving rise to criminal activities. This is swelling the prison population. He who opens a school door, closes a prison. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2019.

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