Chittagong Central Jail is overflowing with five times more inmates than its capacity; following a crackdown on illegal drugs and arms, plus mass arrests, in the last few months.
The situation is causing many of the prisoners to suffer, while many of the jail staff are taking advantage of the situation and adopting corrupt practices.
Md Kamal Hossain, senior superintendent of Chittagong Central Jail, said the prison now accommodates five times more inmates than its capacity.
As of Tuesday, there are a total of 10,428 prisoners in the jail whose capacity accommodates only 1,853 inmates. Of them, 9,746 are on trial, while the remaining 682 are convicted prisoners.
In a letter issued on December 6, Additional Inspector General (prison) of Police Col Iqbal Hasan asked the Chittagong District Magistrate to take the necessary steps to address overcrowding of the district’s central jail.
The letter revealed that due to the acute space crisis at Chittagong Central Jail, set up over an area of 14 acres of land, the authorities are unable to keep drug addicts, aged, and militant prisoners in separate cells.
The situation has hampered prison security. Moreover, overcrowding is also creating a tendency for corrupt practices among the prison staff.
The crisis also has an adverse impact on the mental and physical health of the prisoners.
According to the jail code, each prisoner is entitled to 36sqft of living space, but currently, four, or even five, inmates are sharing that space.
As per the code, the inmates are entitled to a number of facilities, including sports; as mental growth of prisoners is hampered if they are deprived of the opportunity to take part in sports.