Telangana prisons run below capacity as most of India battles overcrowding

While most Indian States continue to struggle with overcrowded jails, Telangana presents a striking contrast, with its prisons operating at less than three-quarters of their sanctioned capacity, according to the latest Prison Statistics India 2023 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

As of December 31,2023, Telangana housed 5,853 prisoners against an authorised capacity of 8,037, resulting in an occupancy rate of just 72.8%. This figure stands well below the national average of 120.8%, where overcrowding remains a pressing concern.

Breaking down the inmate profile, Telangana lodged 3,863 convicts and 1,134 undertrials, with a further 413 inmates in sub-jails. Unlike many other States, Telangana’s sub-jails showed relatively low pressure, operating at 51.9% occupancy.

The State has one dedicated women’s jail with a capacity of 150. It housed just 62 female inmates, recording a notably low occupancy rate of 41.3%. Telangana also runs an open jail of similar size, which too accommodated only 62 prisoners.

In terms of correctional facilities, Telangana maintains a borstal institution meant for young offenders between 18 and 21 years of age. The centre had a capacity of 93 but reported no inmates during 2023.

In terms of gender distribution, in 2023, Telangana housed 44,473 male and 2,748 female inmates, along with 33 transgender prisoners, as of December 31, 2023. This means women accounted for about 5.8% of the prison population in the state. By comparison, Delhi reported 56,439 male and 1,623 female inmates, with women comprising just 2.8%, the lowest share among metro states. In Maharashtra, women made up 4.5% of prisoners, while in Tamil Nadu the figure was higher at 6.5%. Karnataka recorded 3.8% female inmates, and West Bengal 5.1%. These figures place Telangana above Delhi and Karnataka in terms of the proportion of women in custody, though still below Tamil Nadu, which reported the highest female inmate share among major states.

Open jails are special institutions that exclusively confine convicted prisoners. Convicts with good behaviour, meeting the prescribed norms, are transferred to these facilities, where security is minimal and inmates are typically engaged in agricultural activities. Only 17 states operate open jails. Rajasthan reported the highest number with 50, followed by Maharashtra (19), Madhya Pradesh (7), Gujarat and West Bengal (4 each), Kerala and Tamil Nadu (3 each), and Haryana (2). The remaining nine States— Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana and Uttarakhand— have just one each.

The report also highlights that 3.4% of all convicted admissions in Telangana during 2023 were habitual offenders, one of the higher proportions among Indian States.

Prison rights activists note that while the relatively low occupancy suggests better management and infrastructure in Telangana, the presence of habitual offenders indicates persistent challenges in rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.