{"id":43500,"date":"2024-11-17T02:50:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T21:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=43500"},"modified":"2025-05-06T03:07:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:37:52","slug":"resolving-the-issue-of-overcrowded-prisons-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/resolving-the-issue-of-overcrowded-prisons-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Resolving the Issue of Overcrowded Prisons in India"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in News?<\/li>\n<li>Statistics on Overcrowding of Prisons in India<\/li>\n<li>Key Recommendations in the Report on Prisons in India<\/li>\n<li>Global Practices and Indian Legal Context on Electronic Monitoring of Prisoners<\/li>\n<li>Benefits of Electronic Tracking of Prisoners<\/li>\n<li>Concerns and Safeguards for Electronic Tracking of Prisoners<\/li>\n<li>Conclusion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Why in News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>India&#8217;s prison system faces acute challenges<\/strong>, particularly overcrowding, which hinders the efficiency of correctional facilities.<\/li>\n<li>A recent report by the Supreme Court\u2019s Centre for Research and Planning has proposed <strong>using electronic tracking devices to address this issue<\/strong>, marking a potential shift in India\u2019s correctional framework.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Statistics on Overcrowding of Prisons in India:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/Overcrowding_of_Prisons_in_India_0af2d86775.webp\" alt=\"Overcrowding of Prisons in India\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>As of December 31, 2022, <strong>India\u2019s prisons had a 131% occupancy rate<\/strong> with 5,73,220 inmates against a capacity of 4,36,266.<\/li>\n<li>Undertrial prisoners (UTPs) constitute <strong>75.7% of the total inmate population<\/strong>, amplifying the overcrowding crisis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Key Recommendations in the Report on Prisons in India:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The report titled &#8220;<strong>Prisons in India &#8211; Mapping Prison Manuals and Measures for Reformation and Decongestion<\/strong>&#8221; was recently released by the President of India.<\/li>\n<li>It recommends &#8211;\n<ul>\n<li>A phased implementation of <strong>electronic monitoring for releasing UTPs to ease prison overcrowding.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The target group in the initial phases will be<strong> low and moderate-risk UTPs<\/strong> with good conduct.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The phased implementation will <strong>assess community readiness and the feasibility<\/strong> of electronic tracking for broader use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Global Practices and Indian Legal Context on Electronic Monitoring of Prisoners:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>International adoption:<\/strong> Countries like the US, UK, Canada, Malaysia, and Australia employ electronic tracking<strong> to alleviate prison congestion effectively<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indian legislative framework:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023:<\/strong> Introduced electronic tracking devices as a condition for granting prison leave.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Law Commission of India\u2019s 2017 Report:<\/strong> Recognised the cost-saving and security benefits of electronic tagging while emphasising caution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Judicial developments:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Courts have <strong>imposed location-tracking as bail conditions<\/strong> in select cases.<\/li>\n<li>The Supreme Court recently disapproved of constant surveillance of bailed individuals, underscoring the need for <strong>clear guidelines to balance security and privacy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Benefits of Electronic Tracking of Prisoners:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prison decongestion:<\/strong> Reduces inmate numbers while maintaining oversight.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mental health benefits:<\/strong> Improves family contact and reduces stress from isolation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost-effectiveness: <\/strong>Cuts expenses associated with maintaining high incarceration rates.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rehabilitation incentives:<\/strong> Encourages good conduct by linking it with parole or furlough opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Concerns and Safeguards for Electronic Tracking of Prisoners:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Risks of misuse:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Universal application could lead to misuse,<strong> infringing on civil liberties<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Potential <strong>operational challenge<\/strong>s in ensuring equitable implementation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Recommendations for ethical use:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Clear guidelines <\/strong>for implementation to prevent undue violation of prisoners\u2019 rights.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Strict safeguards<\/strong> to protect against misuse while achieving the goal of decongestion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Though experts praise tracking devices for easing prison burdens and mitigating mental stress among prisoners, they also warn against universal application, citing risks of misuse and ineffectiveness in some cases.<\/li>\n<li>The use of electronic tracking devices presents a promising solution to India\u2019s prison overcrowding crisis.<\/li>\n<li>However, its success hinges on a <strong>cautious and well-regulated approach<\/strong> that balances<strong> technological benefits with respect for individual rights<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q.1. What is Article 20 of the Indian Constitution?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Article 20 of the Indian Constitution safeguards certain rights in criminal proceedings. It provides protection against self-incrimination, double jeopardy, and retrospective punishment.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q.2. Why was the Justice Roy Committee constituted?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Established in 2018 by the Supreme Court, the Justice Roy committee recommendations included establishing fast-track courts for minor offenses that have been pending for more than five years, etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/time-to-unlock-electronic-tracking-technology-for-undertrial-inmates-sc-report\/article68875869.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Time to unlock electronic tracking technology for undertrial inmates: SC report<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent report by the Supreme Court\u2019s Centre for Research and Planning has proposed using electronic tracking devices to address this issue, marking a potential shift in India\u2019s correctional framework<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":43501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-43500","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}