Prisons in six districts of Barisal division are overcrowded with more than twice as many prisoners than the allowed capacity. Such overcrowding may be a potential health hazard for the prisoners, and the facility as a whole.
According to prison sources, 3,187 prisoners are now living in six prisons of Barisal region, against the capacities of 1,463 prisoners.
The 183-year old Barisal Central Jail has been designed to accommodate 633 prisoners, while currently it houses 1,237 and often the numbers increase to 1,600 during political turmoil, said Fakhruddin, deputy jailor of the jail.
A total of 204 prisoners are detained at Jhalakathi district jail against the capacity of 155, 417 prisoners at Pirojpur district jail against the capacity of 177, 419 prisoners at Bhola district jail against the capacity of 100, 440 prisoners at Patuakhali district jail against the capacity of 278 and 470 prisoners at Barguna district jail against the capacity of 120.
Jail sources said at least 36 square feet space is required for each non-criminal prisoner; 24 square feet for each convicted and under trial prisoner, 54 square feet every death-sentenced prisoner as per jail code.
According to the normal procedure, death row inmates have to be confined in solitary cells for psychological and security causes, which could not be possible in overcrowded prisons.
None of the six jails has any room for division held prisoners, BCJ sources told.
More than half of the prisoners are opposition political activists and they are under-trial prisoners, jail and political party sources said.
Advocate Mojibor Rahman Sarwar, central BNP organising secretary and convener of divisional 18-party alliance, claimed that more than 35,000 of their activists were accused in about 600 political cases in six districts of the division and 1,280 of them detained in prisons.
Enayet Hossain Chowdhury, a human rights activist, said the problem of overcrowding in prisons should be addressed properly and speedy bail and trial could lessen the accommodation crisis.
The prisoners have no bed to sleep on, and have to sleep on damp floors in the cold weather, said Advocate Parvez Akon Biplob, city BNP education affairs secretary, who recently was detained in jail for political causes.
Aside from the accommodation problem, the prisoners are bereft of any nutrition, health, sanitation, and sports facilities, said AG Mahmud, Pirojpur district jailor, adding they were also facing corruption, inhuman behaviour and torture in absence of legal aid.
Condition of different jail hospital beggar description, as sick and ailing prisoners stay there without any permanent medical and pathological facilities, causing contagious diseases.
Only the Barisal Central Jail has two six-bed prison cells at Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, the jail and prisoner sources said.
