During interaction with the media on the sidelines of the event, Gupta, when asked about overcrowding, said, “Few days ago, we sent a proposal to the government for the construction of additional barracks at Yerawada Central Prison. (Express Photo) A proposal to construct additional barracks at Yerawada Central Jail has been sent to the government and, in future, more prisons would need to be constructed to tackle the issue of overcrowding, said Prison Department head Amitabh Gupta on Wednesday.
Gupta, who took over as the Additional Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services for Maharashtra last month, was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of a ‘Makar Sankranti’ special exhibition of products made by inmates in various manufacturing units in prisons. The exhibition, which is being hosted at the permanent showroom of Prison Department products, will be open till January 26.
While addressing the prison staff at the inauguration of the exhibition, Gupta said, “As we deal with various challenges faced by the prisons, we will have to begin with tackling the issue of overcrowding. We will also have to keep working towards protecting the human rights of the inmates. A look at the quality of the products in this exhibition shows the skills and talents that the inmates have. We will have to strive to encourage them more and create a conducive environment for them.”
During interaction with the media on the sidelines of the event, Gupta, when asked about overcrowding, said, “Few days ago, we sent a proposal to the government for the construction of additional barracks at Yerawada Central Prison. In the future, we will have to construct more prisons. The government is seriously thinking about it. It is a long-term process and we will not reach a solution in a short time. Right from the Prison Department to the government machinery, everyone is working on this. And we will soon see results.”
According to the latest Prison Department statistics from December 1, 2022, the prisons in Maharashtra have an inmate population of 40,718 as against the capacity of 24,722, which amounts to overcrowding of around 65 per cent.
The nine central prisons in the state have an inmate population of 28,201 as against the capacity of 15,506, with overcrowding of around 82 per cent. Of these, the Yerawada, Arthur Road, and Thane Central Prisons have an overcrowding of 180, 325 and 288 per cent respectively. The Yerawada Central Prison has 6,854 inmates against the capacity of 2,449. Arthur Road, which has an intake of 804 persons, houses 3,421 inmates while Thane Central currently has 4,291 inmates against the capacity of 1,105.
Speaking about the exhibition, Gupta said, “All the items exhibited here have been made in various production units inside the prison by the inmates serving their sentences. The work in these units is a key feature of the correctional ecosystem inside jails across the state. In addition to a permanent showroom of the Prison Industry products, we keep organising such exhibitions on festivals. We have been getting a very good response from the citizens.”
On the department’s future plans with regard to prison-made goods, he said, “We are also planning to work more on the branding and publicity of these products. We will also be doing an analysis of the demand for these products from the people and also that of the manufacturing potential of the prison manufacturing units. Based on the findings, we may plan to open more sales and marketing units for prison products. We will also be selling these products on online platforms.”