Maharashtra's Prisons Overflow At 173% Capacity; Arthur Road, Thane & Taloja Jails Among Worst Hit, Mankhurd Project Offers Hope

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s prisons are struggling under the pressure of a steadily rising inmate population, with jails across the state, particularly in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), operating far beyond their sanctioned capacities.

Arthur Road Central Jail, Byculla, Taloja and Thane prisons are among the most overcrowded, posing a major challenge for the prison administration.

Another Prison In Mankhurd On Cards

However, the department is pinning its hopes on the proposed Mankhurd prison to ease overcrowding. An 11-acre encroachment-free plot in Mankhurd has already been handed over to it, and construction is expected to gather pace over the next two to three years.

The administration is also grappling with a severe shortage of prison staff. Overcrowding has led to inadequate sanitation, water shortages and a heightened risk of disease among inmates, raising concerns over prison conditions and inmate welfare.

Arthur Road Houses Inmates More Than 3 Times Of Its Capacity

Arthur Road Jail, one of India’s oldest prisons, was established by the British in 1926 and has become a symbol of the state’s overcrowding crisis. Spread over six acres, it has a sanctioned capacity of 999 inmates but currently houses around 3,410 prisoners – more than three times its capacity.

A major concern is where the inmates will be shifted once redevelopment work begins. Other nearby prisons are already overcrowded, leaving little room for relocation.

Thane Jail, with a sanctioned capacity of 1,086 inmates, currently houses 2,936 prisoners. Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai has a capacity of 2,124 but accommodates 2,949 inmates, while Kalyan Jail is also operating beyond its limits with 2,025 inmates.

Shifting Inmates Might Rise Security Risks

Officials said Arthur Road, Thane and Taloja prisons continue to receive a large number of inmates because of their proximity to courts, making the transportation of undertrial prisoners easier and more secure. Shifting inmates to distant prisons increases logistical challenges and security risks.

Maharashtra has nine central prisons and 51 district prisons in Classes I, II and III, along with 19 open prisons, three women’s prisons, one open colony, one juvenile correctional facility and prison hospitals.

The state’s prisons have a total sanctioned capacity of 24,722 inmates but currently house approximately 42,727 prisoners, taking occupancy to nearly 173% of capacity.

The prison population includes 41,007 men, 1,707 women and 13 transgender inmates.A significant majority are undertrial prisoners, many of whom remain behind bars for years due to poverty.

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