Jails in India continue to be overcrowded with trials

A person’s hands tightly grip the vertical, weathered metal bars of a rusty prison door or window, emphasizing feelings of imprisonment and despair in a harsh, dimly lit environment. | Photo credit: Hari Sucahyo

While the latest report on prison statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau shows that the occupancy rate of Indian prisons fell to a ten-year low of 112.7% in 2024, the data shows that overcrowding remains a persistent problem in Indian prisons caused largely by high rate of fraud. The report also highlighted other concerns such as insufficient capacity expansion and high staff vacancy rates.

In more than half of the States/Union Territories (UTs) in India, prisons continue to function beyond their sanction. At the end of 2024, the country had about 1,333 prisons with a capacity of 4.53 million inmates. However, with an inmate population of over 5.11 lakh, the jails continued to be overcrowded.

Published – 02 Jun 2026 07:00 IST