Inside Karnataka Prisons

This Report - ‘Inside Karnataka Prisons’ in two volumes, is a prison-wise comprehensive review of the prison conditions, which the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) commissioned CHRI to undertake in compliance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. In order to complete this study, CHRI visited 51 operational prisons across Karnataka in 2019 and interacted with prisoners and prison staff of all ranks. The report documents the implementation of standards required by law in prisons and issues of concern identified in the course of the study. It also contains a set of practical recommendations for the consideration of stakeholders. It documents the steps taken by the Prison Department to address the findings from the study. The report also highlights the continuing and coordinated efforts of the Prison Department, the State Government, the State Legal Services Authority, the High Court and CHRI to reform the prison administration and improve prison conditions in Karnataka. The report is published in two parts – Volume 1 contains the thematic analysis, and Volume 2 contains prison-wise reports.