Adiala Jail overcrowding may spread viral diseases

A significant issue of overcrowding inmates in Adiala Central Jail in Rawalpindi — one of the most sensitive prisons of the country — has become a matter of concern which can cause outbreak of viral diseases amongst prisoners.

The jail authorities have sent a detailed report regarding the issue to the Interior Ministry.

The prison having a capacity of nearly 2,000 inmates was currently hosting 257 per cent more inmates in each barrack of the prominent prison in the city of Punjab. Overcrowding has caused many scuffles amongst inmates which have become a routine part of life in the prison.

Currently, 5,591 inmates were incarcerated in the prison against the capacity of 2,174 inmates, according to the report sent to the ministry and received by The Express Tribune.

The report stated, out of total prisoners in the jail, 1,430 were from Islamabad while

300 were from other provinces of the country.

The jail authorities mentioned in the report that 3,385 under trial inmates — against whom various cases were pending — were kept in the prison while 1,884 inmates were convicted of grave crimes, including terrorism, murder, robbery, adultery and kidnapping for ransom.

It was also stated that appeals against conviction of prisoners were also being under trial in high courts.

Also, the report pointed out that currently, 322 accused inmates were in the prison who were yet to be sentenced.

The authorities maintained the report had been sent to Interior Ministry to bring the issue to the notice of government officials and figure out a solution of an alternative prison to resolve the issue of overcrowding.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Human Rights had furnished a report to the Supreme Court on the measures it had been taking to contain the spread of the coronavirus among inmates, painting a grim picture of conditions in the overpopulated prisons across the country.

The report stated prisons across Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were packed beyond capacity. Stating the figures of inmates in the prisons, the report said 45,324 inmates were incarcerated in 41 prisons of Punjab against the housing capacity of 32,000 inmates.

16,315 inmates were incarcerated in 24 prisons of Sindh against the total sanctioned strength of 13,538 inmates in the province’s jails.

In 24 prisons of K-P, 9,900 inmates were incarcerated against the existing capacity of 4,519 inmates.

However, the situation was different in Balochistan’s prisons having 2,122 prisoners against the sanctioned capacity of 2,550 inmates.

(With input from DNA)