77,040 prisoners against capacity of 45,136

Prisons across Bangladesh are currently housing around 1.7 times more inmates than their approved capacity, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told Parliament on Tuesday.

Responding to a question from NCP leader and Cumilla-4 MP Md Abul Hasnat (Hasnat Abdullah), the minister said overcrowding has created serious accommodation challenges in several prisons across the country.

He said that as of June 7, Bangladesh’s 75 prisons have an approved capacity of 45,136 inmates, including 43,107 male and 2,029 female prisoners. However, the current inmate population stands at 77,040, comprising 74,963 male and 2,077 female prisoners.

The minister informed Parliament that the government has taken steps to address the overcrowding through the construction of new facilities and expansion of existing prisons.

He said special central prisons in Keraniganj, Sylhet Central Jail-2, Feni District Jail-2 and Khulna District Jail-2 have already been made operational to reduce congestion.

In addition, Kishoreganj District Jail-2, Madaripur District Jail-2 and Pirojpur District Jail-2 are expected to be opened soon.

Salahuddin also said reconstruction work is underway at prisons in Mymensingh, Cumilla and Jamalpur, alongside the construction of a new jail in Narsingdi.

According to him, these ongoing projects are expected to increase total prison capacity by 2,955 inmates, raising it to 48,131 once completed.

He further added that reconstruction projects have also been initiated for prisons in Rajshahi, Rangpur, Noakhali, Rangamati and Khagrachhari, which will further expand overall capacity in the coming years.