Death of 715 prisoners revealed in 70 months

BhopalIn the last 70 months since April 1, 2020, 715 prisoners have died in the jails of Madhya Pradesh. Of these, 36 prisoners committed suicide, while 54 prisoners escaped from jail. This information was given by Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav in written reply to the question of MLA Umakant Sharma.

More prisoners than capacity in jails

The Chief Minister said that at present 11 central jails, 41 district jails, 73 subjails and 8 open jails are operating in the state. Despite this, more prisoners are being kept in jails than their capacity, due to which there is additional pressure on the systems. To strengthen security, electric wire fencing has been installed on the boundary walls of 15 jails of the state, so that prisoners cannot escape by jumping over the wall. This work is under process in other jails also. All jails have been connected to CCTV network.

Technical training is being given to prisoners in jails

The government has also claimed to take steps towards reform and rehabilitation in jails. Various industries are being run in 13 circle jails and 11 district jails of the state, where prisoners are given vocational training. In the year 2025, 2828 prisoners were provided training in these industries. Apart from this, ITIs are running in three jails, in which technical training was given to 96 prisoners during the year 2025. Initiatives have also been taken in the field of education. In the year 2025, 1007 prisoners studied in various classes, 550 prisoners appeared in the Hindi national language examination. 6,646 prisoners were made literate. The government says that the aim of these efforts is to rehabilitate the prisoners and connect them with the mainstream.

New jails are being constructed

Meanwhile, in view of the increasing number of people in jails, new jails are also being constructed. In response to the question of MLA Archana Chitnis, the Chief Minister said that the construction work of new jails is going on in village Bijori of Sehore district, village Barodi of Shivpuri, village Dulhara of Anuppur, Ratanpura of Bhind, Budhar, Rungta, Kannod, Ambara, Bahadarpura of Burhanpur, village Pachaderia of Indore and village Pachaderia of Chhindwara. However, the figures of deaths and suicides are not available from the jail management and Raises serious questions regarding the safety of prisoners. The opposition says that there is a need to further strengthen the overcrowding in jails, lack of mental health facilities and monitoring system, so that such incidents can be reduced.