Islamabad May 8 (TNS): The prisons in Pakistan are holding up to 57% more prisoners than their authorized capacity pointing towards an over-stretch of resources in the prison and the criminal justice system, research report reads.
The said research report ‘Addressing Overcrowding in Prisons by Reducing Pre-Conviction Detention in Pakistan’ was officially released on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by government and senior criminal justice officials, civil society, the academe and representatives of the international community.
The study, developed by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) in collaboration with Cursor for Development and Education Pakistan (CODE) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), provides a detailed analysis of the causes and consequences of prison overcrowding by highlighting the reasons for the high rate of inmates awaiting trial or court decision and the strategies to tackle them.
According to the report, two-thirds of the total prison population is still awaiting or undergoing trial. This situation is causing overcrowding in prisons, and often results in deplorable living conditions for inmates and prison staff, the spread of diseases and other malfunction.
Due to overcrowding, prisons are increasingly unable to play their corrective and reformative role. This represents a real life irony not only for the prisoners and their families, but also for the state and society.
The report put forth a number of recommendations for the concerned government departments ranging from balancing the use of imprisonment through de-criminalization of petty offences and introduction of alternatives to detention like community service to preventing unnecessary arrest and imprisonment by police. Similarly, increasing access to legal aid and improving working conditions and advanced trainings for public prosecutors are also recommended. Introducing administrative measures at the level of the police and the prosecution for delays in submitting challans and taking measures against excessive adjournments are recognized as important steps to improve the situation. Measures ensuring safety and well-being of different actors involved in the criminal justice system are also recommended in the report.
The report is the outcome of a year-long research involving data collection and a series of consultations with a variety of stakeholders from the federal government, and all the provinces and regions including the police, prosecution, prisons, judiciary, lawyers, social activists, humanitarian organizations and subject matter specialist.
Ihsan Ghani, the National Coordinator of NACTA, thanked the ICRC and CODE Pakistan for supporting its efforts in addressing the issue of overcrowding in Pakistan. “We will continue to work with federal and provincial governments, civil society and humanitarian organizations to translate the recommendations of this document into actionable policies and implementable interventions”, said Ghani.
