Shillong, Aug 14: Meghalaya needs a central jail and more district-level correctional facilities to address severe overcrowding in prisons, former Insp Gen of Prisons Mariahom Kharkrang has said, warning that congested jail conditions could undermine the very purpose of rehabilitation and correction.
Kharkrang said existing prisons in the state are operating at several times their intended capacity, making it difficult to provide inmates with adequate living space, privacy and an environment conducive to rehabilitation.
He acknowledged the government’s efforts to expand prison infrastructure but added that more needs to be done. The retired career police officer pointed to the recent expansion of Shillong Jail, including the opening of an additional ward, and said the new jail at Nongstoin is also expected to be inaugurated shortly. The government has also acquired additional 35 acres of land to shift the central jail from Jail Road to New Shillong.
According to Kharkrang, the overcrowding in Meghalaya’s jails has reached a level where facilities are functioning at almost three to four times their capacity.
He said imprisonment should provide offenders an opportunity to reflect on their actions and return to society as changed individuals, but overcrowding and lack of privacy can instead have a negative impact on their mental well-being.
“When your living space is not there, when that small amount of privacy also is not there, then it does affect the mentality of a person,” he said.
Kharkrang also stressed the need to expand the state’s prison infrastructure in view of the growing number of arrests linked to drugs and other illicit activities.
He suggested that every district should eventually have its own district jail to reduce pressure on existing facilities.
He further pointed out that Meghalaya still does not have a central jail, stressing that a central jail serves a different purpose from a district jail.
According to him, undertrials and convicted prisoners should be segregated, while central prisons should also focus on correction, rehabilitation and skill development so that inmates can secure gainful employment after their release and avoid returning to crime.
Kharkrang said he had seen central prisons outside Meghalaya where inmates are engaged in various activities aimed at rehabilitation and preparing them for life after incarceration.
“But with the kind of congestion that we have, that is not possible right now,” he said.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Meghalaya’s prisons are operating at 163.5 per cent of their sanctioned capacity, the second-highest occupancy rate in India after Delhi.
The state’s five district prisons — Shillong, Tura, Jowai, Williamnagar and Nongpoh — are housing 1,406 inmates against a capacity of 860.
