Prime-Time Trauma: 56% Of Inmates Under 30

New Delhi: At an age when they ought to pursue higher education or flower in their careers, thousands of youths end up spending the prime time of their lives behind bars in Delhi. Out of 18,969 people lodged in 16 jails in the capital, 9,434, or nearly 50%, are between 21 and 30 years of age — the largest chunk when inmates are segregated according to their age groups. The next segment is made up of 7,222 prisoners who are between 31 and 50, while 1,104 are just 18 to 20 years old, according to govt data. Overall, more than 55% of the total number of inmates are below the age of 30, and seven out of every 10 inmates are under 50.
At the other end of the spectrum, 167 prisoners are 65 and above, raising questions about the purpose of incarcerating the elderly and infirm.Delhi's Sentence Review Board periodically releases prisoners after legal reviews, considering remission rules and good conduct, on humanitarian grounds and due to prison overcrowding.Of the total inmates in the city jails, 18,248, or over 96%, are Indian nationals. The rest are foreigners, many of whom have been booked for narco-related offences. A staggering 16,512 prisoners — nearly 87% — are undertrials, awaiting the conclusion of their cases in courts. The rest are convicts.A former law secretary of Delhi govt, who didn't want to be named, told TOI that unemployment, poverty and lack of stable income play a significant part in driving young people towards crime and subsequently behind bars. "Many of the inmates in Delhi jails were drawn to the murky world by the lure of making quick money. Most of them are from economically disadvantaged families," he said.Decades ago, frequent delays in trials used to result in people languishing in jails. Today, the availability of effective legal aid has improved the situation, and such people can avail themselves of free lawyers. A number of recent reforms in the system have also resulted in most undertrials getting timely support," the officer said. Delhi's prison system comprises 16 jails spread across three major complexes — Tihar, Rohini, and Mandoli — and currently operates at nearly double its sanctioned capacity of 10,026. Tihar, one of the largest prison complexes in the world, houses nine central jails in west Delhi, while northwset Delhi's Rohini has one jail and Mandoli in east Delhi has another six. To tackle severe overcrowding, govt is building a new prison complex in northwest Delhi's Narela.The capital's prison demographics are heavily skewed by gender. Men account for over 98% of the inmates. Among the 741 women who are currently behind bars, 453 or over 61% are in the 31 to 50 age bracket. The fact that the largest chunk of woman inmates is over 30 suggests that they entered the world of crime, primarily after battling years of economic distress or domestic abuse.