Prepared by Centre for Research and Planning, the research wing of the Supreme Court of India, this report examines the complexities of the Indian prison system and measures for improvement. The main objective of the report is to focus on the possibilities of reforms through technology-driven solutions.
Highlights of the report on prisons in India
- Stereotyping: Prison manuals often adopt a “demeaning” or “degrading” approach to labour, thereby perpetuating a hierarchical approach to prison functions. This negatively impacts the cleanliness and cleanliness of the functions.
- Bail denial: The denial rate of bail applications is very high. Bail is denied in 3% of cases in Sessions Courts and 16.2% of cases in Magistrate Courts, reflecting delays in judicial processes.
- Slow trials: Over 52% of cases in 2023, where the accused were in custody for more than a year, were still pending at the evidence stage, leading to overcrowding in prisons.
- Other problems: The practice of manual scavenging still continues in prisons, which has been deemed unconstitutional (as in the Sukanya Shanta case). In addition, caste-based division of prison functions and underutilisation of open prisons have also been mentioned in the report.
Use of technology for prison reform
- e-Prisons: A technology solution developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), called ‘e-Prisons’, aims to integrate all activities related to prison and prisoner management. The system makes the management process of prisons digital and more effective.
- Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023: Under this Act, electronic monitoring technology will be used to monitor prisoners for access to prison leave, thereby improving their monitoring and controlling prison overcrowding.
- FASTR System: This system reduces the delay in the transmission of bail orders from courts to prisons, thereby expediting judicial processes.
- Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS): This system seeks to establish an automated channel between courts, police and prisons, which can reduce undue delays in custody cases and make the judicial process more transparent and speedy.