UPSC Articles
Idea of placing convicts under house arrest
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Legislature; Judiciary
In news
- The Supreme Court has thrown open the door to the legislature to “ponder” over the idea of placing convicts under house arrest to avoid overcrowding of prisons.
Key takeaways
- A Bench of Justices U.U. Lalit and K.M. Joseph, in a judgment, highlighted the “alarming” statistics of prisons.
- The suggestion is relevant considering the spread of COVID-19.
- A few days ago, a Bench, led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, issued a series of directions, including the grant of interim bail and parole to prisoners to decongest prisons.
- The occupancy rate in prisons had climbed to 118.5% in 2019.
- National Crime Records Bureau’s figures of 2019 show that 18,86,092 inmates were admitted in jails.
- The number of undertrial prisoners in 2019 was 3,30,487, which, in fact, constituted 69.05% of the total number of prisoners.
- Secondly, a very large sum (₹6818.1 crore) was the budget for prisons.
- The “tremendous” overcrowding of prisons and the huge budget were both relevant in the context of the possibilities that house arrest offers.
