Chaos behind the bars

Overcrowding, drug abuse and violence have always plagued Nepal’s prisons.

Prisons are many things at the same time. Practically, they are a place of incapacitation; pragmatically, a medium of general deterrence; tacitly, a tool of retribution; and philosophically, a reform home. Prisons are a ubiquitous presence in the contemporary penal world, and Nepal is no exception. The first jail in Nepal was the Sadar Jail, currently known as Central Jail and the largest prison in the country, established in 1971 BS. Among the 77 districts in Nepal, 72 have their prison, with only Kathmandu and Dang having two each. Nepali prisons currently hold about 27,550 prisoners and detainees, a 31 percent increase from 18,811 five years ago. Unfortunately, the investment in infrastructure, human resources and alternative penal systems is dismal, with enormous consequences.