With the majority of jails in Odisha packed beyond their capacity, the State government has approved an action plan for the construction of additional wards to decongest the overcrowded prisons across the State.

“An action plan for 2020-21 and 2021-22 years has been approved by the government for construction of additional wards in different jails of the State. It is expected that the scheduled capacity of some of the jails will be upgraded to accommodate 2,994 more prisoners”, an affidavit submitted by the State’s prison administration with the Orissa High Court maintained.

The overcrowding of jails in the trying times of COVID-19 continues to be a matter of deep concern in the State.

Currently, the 87 jails in the State have the full capacity to house 19,824 prisoners. However, a large number of prisons in Odisha are experiencing beyond 20% overcrowding and a substantial number beyond 50% of overcrowding.

The circle jail in Bhubaneswar has a scheduled accommodation capacity of 749 whereas the present prisoner population is in the prison 1,006.

The situation is equally worse in Malkangiri as against the full capacity of 314; the jail in the southern district currently houses 679 inmates.

In Bhadrak jail, 415 prisoners are presently lodged against the scheduled accommodation of 166.

“In a step towards decongesting jails in view of the prevailing pandemic, we are releasing the prisoners on bail or parole in accordance with courts’ order in periodic intervals.

To arrest the spread of Covid in jails, the new prisoners who test positive for COVID-19 are not allowed to enter into the prison and are sent to a separate Covid Care Centre”, a senior official of the State’s jail administration said.

It is pertinent to note here that the Orissa High Court had earlier directed the State government to expedite measures to decongest the overcrowded prisons and formulate a comprehensive action plan to keep the contagion at bay.

In view of the overcrowding, the court had also ruled that the government buildings may also be converted into temporary prisons to lodge the prisoners keeping in view virus infection outbreaks in jails across the State.

The Amicus Curiae appointed by the Orissa High Court to oversee the living condition in the jails and correctional homes in a fact-finding report had earlier found that most of the jails house prisoners more than the capacity.

“Congestion in the Odisha jails is now a concern for the state at the face of Corona. Overfull jails are putting the life of prisoners and the watch and ward staff of jail at stake due to contamination of Coronavirus among the jail inmates”, the report had noted.