India’s Prisons at Breaking Point: Overcrowded, Understaffed, and Starved of Healthcare

India’s prisons are turning into catastrophic death zones. Alarming levels of overcrowding, with some jails operating at up to 477 per cent capacity, is making prisons tough to survive. Compounding the crisis is the severe shortage of healthcare resources—one doctor for every 775 inmates—far exceeding recommended standards. States like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand report one doctor for over 1,000 prisoners. Against the benchmark of one psychologist for every 500 inmates, India has only 25 psychologists for the entire prison population—an average of 1 for every 22,928 prisoners. No state meets the benchmark.

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