Punjab saw the highest number of clashes (59) inside prisons in the country, as per the recently released National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for the year 2023. The state was followed by Kerala (15) and Madhya Pradesh (14). Thus, Punjab jails have more than three times the clashes compared to their nearest competitor states in this parameter. In other worrying prison statistics, data shows that the state releases second highest number of jail inmates on parole in the country and that it also has the third highest absconders from these paroles. These statistics, coupled with many other important ones, points towards the need for urgent reforms in the prison system of the state especially in light of regular reports of the several major drug networks in the state being run from the prisons of Punjab. During the year 2023, total of 25,483 people were released on parole in the country out of which the highest (6,577) were from Madhya Pradesh and the second highest were from Punjab (3,882). Gujarat followed at the third place with 2,969 people given parole. When it comes to persons absconding on parole, Punjab again figures in the top three states. Gujarat has the maximum absconders at 109 followed by Madhya Pradesh (34) and Punjab (31). For persons convicted for alcohol and drugs related offences in the country, Punjab is again at the top of the charts with the maximum 2,383 convictions in 2023 followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,201) and Bihar (931). Punjab’s conviction rate for these specific offences are 25.6 per cent of the total convicted inmates lodged in the jails across the country for these cases. As far as undertrials under prosecution for alcohol and drug related cases are concerned, Punjab cedes the top position to Bihar at 14,301, coming at second position with 9,073 undertrials followed by Uttar Pradesh at 5,063 persons. For undertrials in arms and explosives related offences too, Punjab is in the top three positions with Bihar at top with 2,840 persons, Uttar Pradesh (2,564) and Punjab with 1,223 persons. Punjab is at the second position in the country when it comes to detention of undertrials for a period of one to two years with Uttar Pradesh topping the list at 10,283 persons, Punjab with 5,076 persons and Maharashtra with 4,978 persons. For undertrials in special and local laws crimes taken cumulatively, Bihar has the maximum undertrials at 19,181 persons, Uttar Pradesh comes second at 11,010 persons and Punjab at third place with 10,832 persons. Punjab also has the highest number of complaints which prisoners have submitted against their condition in prisons to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and State Human Rights Commission (SHRC). The data shows that 345 complaints to various commissions were submitted from Punjab prisons in 2023 with the nearest highest number being 89 complaints from Uttar Pradesh and 68 complaints from Odisha.
