Nepal
Achyut Regmi
Central Jail at Kathmandu’s Jagannath Dewal, the oldest prison in the country, is overcrowded. The facility is currently housing more than twice as many inmates as its capacity.
According to the prison's administrator, Ishwori Prasad Pandey, it currently has 3,448 inmates, contrary to its maximum capacity of 1,500.
Established across 43 ropanis of land in 1915, the prison contains three blocks — central, Bhadra, and women — for female and male inmates as well as hard-core criminals.
There are 1,902 inmates in the central area, 1,122 in Bhadra and 424 in the women's section. They consist of 14 minors and 258 foreign nationals.
Pandey said that there was more stress on prisoners because many crimes happened in Kathmandu.
Even though some additions have been made to the original buildings, there isn't enough room for the growing number of prisoners.
A total of 376 police personnel, led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, have been dispatched to ensure the safety of both Dillibazaar and Nakkhu prisons.
DSP Kumar Bikram Thapa, who is in charge of security at three prisons, including the Central Jail, said the addition of CCTV cameras had improved the efficiency of the prison administration.
There are currently 250 security guards stationed at the Central Jail and 126 in the remaining two.
There are currently 634 prisoners and detainees housed in the Dillibazar Jail, while the Nakkhu Jail has 1,397 inmates.
The inmates at Central Jail have access to a medical facility. The prison has a 30-bed infirmary with six doctors on staff. It provides care for skin conditions, diabetes, respiratory issues, lungs, cellulitis, among others.
On April 3, 2014, the government decided to relocate the Central Jail to Nuwakot because of the increasing number of inmates. The construction work in Nuwakot is proceeding in accordance with the decision. It has a capacity of 7,000 inmates, while the under-construction regional jail at Jhumka of Banke can house 3,000.
According to the Department of Prison Management, there are 74 jails in 72 districts. Kathmandu and Dang have two prisons each, while Bhaktapur, Bara, Dhanusha, East Nawalparasi and East Rukum have none. There are roughly 25,000 prisoners and detainees across the country.
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