Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The number of jail inmates across state prisons has seen a significant drop between 2023 and 2025. Experts attribute this to the impact of legal provisions that allow bail to be granted at the police station level for offences punishable by imprisonment of up to seven years.
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As a result, the inmate population in the state's prisons has decreased by 2,332 compared to 2023.
Percentage declined
According to data from the state prison department, 45,543 inmates were lodged in the state's prisons as of December 31, 2023. This dropped to 45,092 by December 31, 2024, and further to 43,211 by December 31, 2025. The percentage of inmates exceeding the sanctioned capacity stood at 52.45% in 2023. This dropped to 47.15% in 2024 and 39.46% in 2025, indicating that the crisis of overcrowding in the state's prisons is gradually easing.
Capacity stands at 31,000
A total of 133 prisons are operational across the state, comprising central, district, open and sub-jails. Their total sanctioned accommodation capacity is 30,984 inmates. However, as of December 31, 2025, 43,211 inmates were lodged in them. This means there are still nearly 12,000 more inmates in prisons than their actual capacity allows, though the overall pressure has eased.
Prison capacities: A breakdown
The 11 central jails in the state have a combined capacity of 15,176 inmates yet they have 23,349 prisoners. Similarly, the 41 district jails have a capacity of 10,169, but they hold 13,742 inmates. The eight open jails have a capacity of 138 with 118 inmates detained in them. The state's 73 sub-jails house 6,002 inmates against a total capacity of 5,501. This indicates that while overcrowding persists in certain categories, the overall pressure on the prison system has declined.
Reason behind change
According to legal experts, the primary reason behind this shift is a specific provision introduced in the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows bail at the police station level for offences punishable by imprisonment of up to seven years.
Consequently, in such cases, suspects can secure bail directly from the police station rather than being sent straight to jail. Previously, many suspects in these cases would be sent to prison until they obtained bail from courts, leading to a continuous rise in overcrowding. Following the implementation of this provision, many suspects have begun receiving relief directly from the police station shortly after their arrest.
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