Pakistan’s Prison Landscape: Trends, Data and Developments in 2024

Prison conditions in Pakistan fall significantly short of international standards, with inmates facing numerous systemic challenges, including severe overcrowding, unhygienic living conditions, insufficient access to clean water, nutritious food, and healthcare, exploitative labor practices, limited contact with family and legal counsel, and a lack of effective complaint mechanisms. Furthermore, prisons fail to provide adequate rehabilitative, educational, vocational, or recreational activities, undermining the core objectives of incarceration. With a population of 102,026 inmates housed in 128 facilities across four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan’s prison system operates under immense strain.

Encouragingly, the national prison population grew by only 1.66% from 2023. However, overcrowding remains a critical concern, with over three-quarters of the prison population still under trial (74,918 prisoners). Since 2010, Punjab has constructed 13 new prisons, including district jails in Okara, Pakpattan, Layyah, Bhakkar, and Rajanpur, as well as two high-security prisons in Sahiwal and Mianwali. Between 2010 and 2024, 140 new barracks and 928 additional death cells were also constructed, providing accommodation for over 4,000 inmates. These developments aimed to expand the authorized capacity to 37,563 inmates by 2024. 

However, persisting overcrowding, in spite of infrastructural additions, underscores systemic issues, such as ineffective bail and parole systems, prolonged judicial delays, and an overreliance on custodial measures. Over-incarceration for drug-related offenses further exacerbates the issue. Rigid sentencing guidelines introduced by the 2022 amendment to the Control of Narcotics Substance Act 1997 (CNSA) have intensified the problem by eliminating parole, probation, and remissions, leading to harsher and often disproportionate penalties.

For decades, multiple committees and working groups have been established to address the dire need for prison reforms in Pakistan, with a consistent focus on amending the outdated Pakistan Prison Rules. Recent initiatives include the Prime Minister’s Prisoners’ Aid Committee (2019), Chief Minister’s Prison Reform Committees (2020 and 2022), the Ministry of Interior’s Committee for Prison Reform (2024), and the Chief Justice’s Prison Reform Committee (2024). In November 2024, the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan proposed a National Jail Reform Policy aligned with international standards to ensure humane and rehabilitative management of Pakistan’s prisons. These initiatives have consistently emphasised the urgent need to modernise Pakistan Prison Rules and align them with international standards.

Despite these recurring efforts, there has been no comprehensive review to revisit and evaluate the recommendations of previous committees or identify why they have not been implemented. This persistent failure to translate recommendations into action continues to hinder meaningful progress. While these reform initiatives offer hope for improvement, comprehensive judicial reform, alternative sentencing measures, and alignment of Pakistan Prison Rules with international standards remain crucial to addressing Pakistan’s deep-rooted prison crisis.

The 2024 report highlights the chronic challenges Pakistan’s prison system is facing, including severe overcrowding and staggering overrepresentation of under-trial prisoners. Rehabilitation and diversion programs remain critically underutilized, with community service absent as an alternative sentencing option. Vulnerable groups, such as women, juveniles, and individuals with psychosocial disabilities, continue to face inadequate protections. To achieve meaningful reform, the urgent implementation of revised Prison Rules and alignment with international standards, such as the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules), the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (Bangkok Rules), and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules), are essential to addressing these enduring challenges and ensuring a humane and just penal system.

Read full report: Pakistan’s Prison Landscape: Trends, Data, and Developments in 2024

Year: 2025
Resource Type:
Report
Themes:
Courts Systems
Human Rights
Prisons
Region:
Asia
Country(ies):
Pakistan
People Groups:
People in Detention
Approach:
Research
Campaign Partner:
Justice Project Pakistan