Bangladesh’s 75 jails are currently holding 77,040 prisoners, which is 1.7 times their total capacity of 45,136, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told parliament on Wednesday.
Responding to a starred question from Cumilla-4 MP Hasnat Abdullah during the ninth day of the 13th National Parliament session, the minister said the country’s jails are significantly overcrowded.
According to information received up to 7 June, the total approved capacity of the country’s jails is 45,136 – 43,107 for men and 2,029 for women. Against this, 77,040 prisoners are currently held, of which 74,036 are men and 2,077 are women.
“Due to prisoners being held beyond capacity, accommodation problems exist in some jails,” the minister said.
To address the accommodation crisis, Special Central Jail in Keraniganj, Sylhet Central Jail-2, Feni District Jail-2, and Khulna District Jail-2 have already been opened. Kishoreganj District Jail-2, Madaripur District Jail-2, and Pirojpur District Jail-2 will be opened soon.
Reconstruction work is ongoing at Mymensingh, Cumilla, and Jamalpur jails, and a new jail is being constructed in Narsingdi. Upon completion of these four projects, prisoner capacity will increase by 2,955, bringing the total to 48,131.
The minister said reconstruction projects for Rajshahi, Rangpur, Noakhali, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari jails have also been taken up, which will further increase capacity upon implementation.
