What ails Tamil Nadu’s jails? Unmanned watchtowers, for starters, like the one at Theni district jail
Locked watchtowers, no alarms, few guards … the escape of 17 prisoners from Theni jail on Monday has exposed weaknesses in the state’s prison system, which the govt has responded to by launching a security audit and new prison buildings to ease congestion. Too many inmates Tamil Nadu’s prison population of 23,600 is below its overall authorised capacity of 24,148. But the state’s prison system is overcrowded, with inmates unevenly distributed across its 125 institutions. Seven of the nine central prisons, barring Vellore and Trichy, operate at 111% to 210% of capacity. Madurai Central Prison houses 2,623 inmates against an authorised accommodation of 1,252, taking occupancy to nearly 210%. Across central prisons, the average occupancy stands at 118% against a capacity of 15,119. Six of the 13 district jails operate at 112% to 169% of capacity, with Theni jail recording 169% occupancy on the day 17 prisoners escaped. Though Tamil Nadu fares better than Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, where prison occupancy averages 150%, officials say rising arrests linked to petty offences and drug-related crimes have increased the pressure on available space and personnel. Too few staff For the past four months, the prison department has been trying to get the state govt to increase manpower by 400, but, say officials, the proposal was rejected. “We sent the proposal to the home department ahead of the 2026-2027 state budget. The proposal sought to increase the sanctioned strength from 5,432, with priority given to lower-level posts such as Grade I and Grade II warders, assistant jailers and jailers to strengthen frontline security. Around 4,200 of the sanctioned posts are for uniformed personnel, of whom about 7% are vacant. The committee can assess up to 14 categories of prisoners, including unreleased bailable undertrials, sick or infirm inmates, women prisoners, first-time young offenders, and poor prisoners who cannot afford bail or fines.
Successive govts have failed to augment manpower and infrastructure to match the changing demands,” says a prison superintendent. “The state needs to strengthen non-institutional correction mechanisms to avoid unnecessary imprisonment for petty offences,” says criminologist A Shankar Prakash. But the govt rejected it saying there were financial constraints,” says a source. Hope this time, the govt will consider it,” says an official, citing an earlier incident in which two inmates escaped from Puzhal prison. “Undertrials make up 70% of the prison population,” says Beluah Immanuvel, deputy director (incharge) of APCA. “The undertrial review committee, chaired by district and session judges, is inefficient,” she says. They need to meet regularly on a schedule guided by the National Legal Services Authority standard operating procedures,” she says. So there is no one to spare for the watchtower,” says a prison staffer. “Repair the watchtowers and ensure staff safety,” says a prison guard. The prisons department has now ordered a security audit and restoration of functional alarms across its facilities. (With inputs from Ahamed Ali) Guards can open fire at those trying to escape, says DGP In a security overhaul following the escape of 17 prisoners from Theni sub-jail on Monday, the prisons department has assigned personnel armed with self-loading rifles (SLRs) to guard watchtowers round the clock at 14 central prisons, including five special prisons for women, and 13 district jails, with instructions to “open fire” at inmates attempting to escape. “If a situation arises, armed personnel on duty can open fire as self-defence and prevent jailbreak,” says Sandeep Rai Rathore, director general of prisons and correctional administration. There are instructions from DGP Rathore to ‘open fire at prisoners attempting to escape’,” says a prison department official.
But is it enough? TOI looks at the chinks in the armour. Several sub-jails also face similar pressure. “Inmate numbers change daily, but the situation has worsened over the past few years. “That will address prison overcrowding. Prisons department should give greater emphasis to the probation wing and also make community-based correction more effective. After Monday’s jailbreak, the department has renewed its demand for additional personnel and wants construction of new prison facilities expedited to strengthen security. It spoke about rising inmate numbers and mounting pressure on the existing workforce. “We are pushing it again. The official adds that two-thirds of the force is diverted to supervise prison industries, poultry farms and facilities such as petrol stations. Long wait for release Lack of legal aid and the absence of an efficient judicial mechanism result in prolonged imprisonments. “If the committee works effectively, it will cut short the time undertrials spend in prison, which will address the issue of overcrowding. “They can recommend prisoners for bail, statutory/default bail, or release, and coordinates with legal aid authorities to fast-track follow-up actions. Watchtowers without watchers At the Theni jail, watchtowers are locked and unmanned, exposing security failures beyond the prison’s non-functional alarm system. TOI found two watchtowers at opposite corners of the perimeter wall in disrepair. Rusted padlocks secured their entrances, while damaged electrical wiring, dust and discarded materials filled the interiors. A toilet in one tower was unusable, its door broken. Prison sources say the towers have been abandoned for months. “We are struggling to manage routine duties. Meanwhile, nine personnel have been suspended over the escape. No alarm to raise When inmates assaulted guards after staging a medical emergency, the centralised siren did not function, leaving personnel to blow whistles and shout for help. The move comes as the department steps up security across the state to prevent a repeat of the jailbreak. “A security audit of prisons has been on for the past week. Once the audit reports are received by the end of this month, a gap analysis will be carried out and decisions will be made to strengthen prison security. Highly placed sources say the department has issued SLRs to Tamil Nadu special police personnel and prison staff assigned to guard watchtowers along prison perimeters. “Every central and district prison has five to six watchtowers. These will be manned round the clock by personnel armed with SLRs to thwart escape attempts. Armed personnel began guarding watchtowers at central prisons the same day, with the arrangement extended to district jails from Wednesday.
The weapons were issued from the department’s armoury on Tuesday.
The department has also issued a standard operating procedure to prevent jailbreaks and prisoner escapes as part of the wider security measures, besides cancelling all leaves to the personnel and directed them to report for duty immediately.
New facilities with capacities of 3,000 inmates each are coming up in Coimbatore and Madurai, while an additional block at Puzhal will accommodate 1,000. Projects are also under way in Tiruvallur (500), Trichy (300) and Thanjavur (500). You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai Stay updated with the latest Chennai news.
“Within the next year, Tamil Nadu’s total authorised prison capacity will exceed 30,000,” says a senior prison official. Expansion is also expected to ease the pressure. Download the TOI App.