Overcrowding In Prison Case Study

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STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Prison is a correctional institution where people are confined while on trial or for the punishment. The way of treatment towards the prisoners has changed over the time along with the notions about the purpose of incarceration.
The Government has been ignorant towards the condition of the prisons in India. The country still follows the same old prison act which was formed 125 years ago. With the growth of the crime rates and inhumane behaviour towards the prisoners, there is no form of development in this sector. While in the other countries the system of incarceration has changed along with its meaning.
As a citizen we have forgotten that these people will again be an active part of the society. Therefore, it is necessary …show more content…

Overcrowding in Indian prisons is seen as the root problem that gives birth to a number of other problems relating to health care, food, clothing and poor living conditions. In Delhi, Tihar Jail holds 8700 prisoners against a stipulated capacity of 2200. The reasons for overcrowding in jail are many. Inordinate delays in trials result in many undertrials having to be detained in jail for unduly long periods – in many cases extending to years. This, together with the routine new additions, literally clogs the system. In many cases, prisoners who are facing charges of grave, professional, violent crimes are outnumbered by others like suspected drug offenders, ticketless travellers, Railway alarm – chain pullers, and a variety of others who have technically violated law. Many of them are in jail only because they could not pay the fines imposed on them by courts. In some cases, prisoners prefer to continue in jail because they just cannot afford even a single meal a day outside! Then there are prisoners who prefer to spend a couple of months in jail then to pay "maintenance" to their wives as ordered by courts. Under these circumstances, the problem of overcrowding can be solved or at least reduced only by a variety of measures. The National Police Commission pointed out that 60% of all arrests were either unnecessary or unjustified. This has resulted in overcrowding …show more content…

A prison as a social system is a special subject of research for several reasons. First, a prison is a relatively isolated social system and may be analysed much easier in terms of social system than other cases, especially a society as a whole is too complex system to research it directly. Second, the correctional institution is an example of total institution which consists of two communities or subsystems: the inmates and the staff. Third, this kind of institution is relatively separated and differs from other organizations in degree of control mechanisms, but it has also connections with outside environment. The contemporary Prison administration in India is thus a legacy of British rule. It is based on the notion that the best criminal code can be of little use to a community unless there is good machinery for the infliction of punishments. Provisions regarding the jail offences and punishment were specially examined by a conference of experts on Jail

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