Why Prison Reform Matters

Pakistan’s justice system cannot succeed while prisons overcrowd, delay trials, and neglect rehabilitation. Experts at a two-day workshop at the Peshawar Judicial Academy reviewed national gaps and proposed solutions that align with international human-rights standards. This article presents the key insights, essential data, and an actionable roadmap that moves prisons from punishment to rehabilitation.

1) The Landscape: Crime & Prison Facts

1.1 KP—Registered Crime Snapshot (2024)

Authorities recorded 211,472 total crimes. Illustrative categories include:

• Crimes against persons: 16,735 (≈8%)

• Crimes against property: 5,853 (≈3%)

• Traffic violations: 18,646 (≈9%)

• Local & Special Laws (selected): Narcotics 35,579; Arms 45,582; Tenancy 16,551; Electricity 23,976; SVE & P Act 6,366; Aerial firing 5,912; Hate speech/material 43

• Miscellaneous: 25,938 (≈12%)

Use this distribution to prioritize diversion, health screening, and targeted rehabilitation.

1.2 KP—Jails & Capacity (Overview)

• Total facilities (central, district, sub-jails, internment centres, etc.): 40+

• Authorized capacity: 13,653

• Prisoner population: 13,264 → 0% overall overcrowding (but several jails still exceed capacity)

Population by category:

• Male adults: 12,814

• Female adults: 134

• Male juveniles: 305

• Female juveniles: 11

• Under-trial prisoners (UTPs): ~72% of the total population

1.3 Jail-Wise Pressure (Examples)

• Over-capacity: DJ Lakki (+174%), SJ Swabi (+145%), SJ Nowshera (+136%), CP Peshawar (+16%), CP Mardan (+18%)

• Under-capacity: DJ Chitral (-62%), DJ Abbottabad (-41%), CP Haripur (-48%)

Policymakers should rebalance admissions, transfers, and bail priorities to relieve hot spots.

2) Core Challenges

2.1 Overcrowding & Delayed Justice

Courts take too long to decide cases and rely heavily on pre-trial detention. UTPs dominate the population. Many facilities run well beyond design limits, which strains sanitation, safety, and services. You must expand non-custodial measures and fast-track UTP cases to cut pressure.

2.2 Weak Rehabilitation & Reintegration

Most prisons lack market-relevant skills training, education, and counselling. Released individuals leave without proof of skills, job links, or community mentorship. This gap drives recidivism and wastes public money.

2.3 Health & Mental-Health Gaps

Too few full-time doctors and psychologists serve large inmate populations. Facilities struggle with diagnostics, chronic-disease management, and psychiatric care. Stress, addiction, and trauma go untreated and fuel violence and self-harm.

2.4 Vulnerable Groups

Women, juveniles, and people with disabilities face systemic neglect. Facilities rarely apply gender-sensitive standards, child-safe procedures, or reasonable accommodations. You must align practice with Bangkok Rules (women), Beijing Rules (juveniles), and disability-rights norms.

3) What Works: Current Initiatives (KP Focus)

3.1 Education & Skills

• 14 Adult Literacy Centres across CPs and DJs; Computer Literacy Centres with one-year DIT in select jails.

• One-year snapshot shows prisoners achieving Nazira/Translation of Quran, Hafiz, SSC/FA/BA/MA, and language courses (Arabic/Urdu/Pashto).

3.2 Counselling, Faith & Sports

• 10 psychologists counselled 565 prisoners in one month.

• Regular sermons/khutbas and annual sports festivals support morale and discipline.

• Drug-rehab centres in CPs Bannu, Peshawar, Haripur and DJ Swat provide addiction treatment.

3.3 Healthcare & Sanitation (with UNDP support)

• 5 fully furnished jail hospitals, 12 mini-labs, 7 ultrasound units, digital X-ray at CP Peshawar.

• 18 Qarshi clinics add complementary care.

• 40 free medical camps treated 5,985 inmates; routine anti-dengue/malaria spraying.

• In one year: 3,321 specialist visits; 28,864 treatments; 9,662 viral screenings; 2,476 HIV/HCV screens by Nai Zindagi Trust.

• WSSPs/TMAs manage garbage removal; Rescue-1122 ambulances on standby.

3.4 Technology & Connectivity (PMIS/UNODC)

• Prison Management Information System (PMIS) with 20 modules and a secure server room links prisons and justice stakeholders.

• Model interview rooms with intercom, virtual visitation app and on-site video points reduce travel burdens.

• Cloud-based CCTV and video-link courts (ATCs + central/district jails) improve security and hearing access.

• Solarization of select prisons cuts outages and costs; e-learning labs upskill staff.

4) Reform Roadmap: Action You Can Implement Now

4.1 Decongest Lawfully

• Expand bail, probation, parole, fines, and community service for non-violent offences.

• Create UTP fast-track cells with daily cause lists and legal aid.

• Introduce risk-based assessments to guide custody vs. community placement.

4.2 Build Rehabilitation that Works

• Offer market-linked TVET (construction, electrical, welding, hospitality, textiles, ICT).

• Issue certificates jointly with NAVTTC/TEVTA and register inmates on job portals.

• Launch post-release case management: IDs, bank accounts, housing referrals, job fairs, and mentorship.

4.3 Fix Health & Mental Health

• Fund 24/7 infirmaries, telemedicine, and psychiatry clinics; stock essential medicines.

• Screen all admissions; maintain EHRs inside PMIS; track chronic diseases and TB/HIV care.

• Train staff in suicide-prevention, trauma-informed practice, and substance-use treatment.

4.4 Protect Vulnerable Groups

• Implement Bangkok Rules: maternity care, child-contact spaces, female staff presence, and dignity kits.

• Establish juvenile-only education-first facilities in line with Beijing Rules; expand diversion.

• Provide disability accommodations and independent complaint mechanisms.

4.5 Modernize Infrastructure & Data

• Rebalance capacity using transfer protocols and targeted construction where pressure runs hottest.

• Roll out PMIS nationwide; publish monthly dashboards (UTPs, health, education, recidivism).

• Standardize virtual hearings/visits, CCTV, and solar back-up.

4.6 Train People, Align Stakeholders

• Deliver mandatory human-rights and correctional training for all ranks.

• Institutionalize a Justice Delivery Board linking prisons, police, prosecution, judiciary, probation/parole, and social welfare.

• Partner civil society and universities for legal aid, counselling, research, and pilots.

4.7 Update Laws & Policies

• Replace the Prisons Act, 1894 with a modern Corrections & Rehabilitation Act.

• Embed non-custodial sanctions, case time-limits, health standards, and independent oversight.

• Align SOPs with Mandela Rules, Bangkok Rules, and Beijing Rules.

5) Data-Driven Insights to Guide Policy

• Overcrowding concentrates in selected Punjab and Sindh facilities; targeted decongestion and fast-track UTP cells will yield immediate wins.

• Health gaps persist where >80% of prisons lack full-time medical staff; deploy tele-clinics and bonded postings.

• Rehabilitation access remains too low; scaling TVET + certification + job placement cuts recidivism and pays for itself.

Conclusion: From Punishment to Rehabilitation

Prison reform in Pakistan is a moral imperative and a public-safety strategy. You must replace outdated laws, invest in people and facilities, and deploy technology that increases transparency and care. With PMIS, health upgrades, skilled staff, and credible alternatives to custody, prisons can become centres of correction—not congestion.
Justice Yahya Afridi’s vision for humane, rehabilitative prisons offers a clear north star. If Pakistan sustains this course, the system will uphold dignity, reduce reoffending, and strengthen community safety—inside and outside the prison walls.