January 21, 2025
Islamabad – Pakistan’s prisons have become a master class in how not to run a correctional system. With prison facilities at 152% of their capacity and three-quarters of prisoners simply awaiting their day in court, the country's prisons have become monuments to bureaucratic paralysis rather than justice.
A recent report, “Pakistan's Prison Landscape,” tells a fascinating story: 102,026 prisoners crammed into spaces designed for 65,811 people. At an eye-popping 355% capacity, Karachi Central Prison looks more like a sardine can than a correctional facility.
Most disturbing of all, 74,918 of those prisoners are still awaiting trial, stuck in the quicksand of a justice system so slow that it makes Dickens's “Jadis v. Jardis” seem speedy.
Pakistani lawmakers are only making matters worse. The 2022 amendments to the Narcotics Control Act that removed parole and probation options for drug offenders have had exactly what any first-year criminology student could have predicted: a surge in incarceration.
In Punjab alone, drug-related incarcerations account for nearly 30% of the prison population.
The conditions behind prison walls would make a medieval jailer blush. Prisoners had to overcome the obstacles of harsh conditions, dirty water, poor food and exploitative labor. Family visits and legal advice are seen as luxuries rather than basic rights.
The solution isn't rocket science. Pakistan must first drag its pretrial detention system into the 21st century. It makes no sense to put people in jail for minor crimes.
A proper bail reform package, coupled with readily available legal aid, could significantly reduce the crowds. Alternative sentencing urgently needs a seat at the table. Community service programs – not on Pakistan's sentencing menu – could offer a smarter approach to juvenile offenders while providing some breathing room to overcrowded cells.
The 1978 Pakistan Prison Rules are as outdated as the telegraph in the smartphone age and call for modernization in all provinces.
With only 40 prisoners per 100,000 people behind bars – just one-third of the global median – Pakistan's crisis becomes even more confusing. Far from being a success story, this low rate masks a troubling reality: the justice system is overwhelmed and unable to handle cases effectively, with informal dispute resolution mechanisms filling the vacuum. That such a limited caseload still overwhelms the prison system speaks volumes about its structural flaws.
Failure to address these issues demonstrates Pakistan’s weak commitment to justice. An independent oversight mechanism established through the National Human Rights Commission, with the power to conduct surprise inspections and deal with prisoner complaints, could shed some much-needed light on these dark corners.
Although prisoners have lost their freedom, civilized society has no reason to deprive them of their basic dignity.
