Delhi's inmate population in 2024 nearly double of sanctioned strength: NCRB data

According to the National Crime Records Bureau NCRB data detailing the capitals inmate profile, crime categories and prison occupancy levels, inmate population in 2024 comprised 18,758 men, 743 women and 11 transgender persons.

Delhi prisons housed 19,512 inmates in 2024 against an authorised capacity of 10,026, with undertrials accounting for 88 per cent of the population, while 858 were serving life imprisonment and 12 were on death row, according to NCRB's Prison Statistics 2024. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data detailing the capital's inmate profile, crime categories and prison occupancy levels, inmate population in 2024 comprised 18,758 men, 743 women and 11 transgender persons. Male occupancy stood at 200.7 per cent, while female occupancy was recorded at 109.3 per cent. Delhi has 14 central jails and two women's jails. The inmate population included 2,232 convicts, 17,178 undertrial prisoners, 12 detenues and 90 inmates categorised under ''others''. Undertrials constituted 88 per cent of the total prison population, while convicts accounted for 11.4 per cent. Education-wise analysis showed that the largest section of undertrials in Delhi jails had not studied up to Class 10. Of the 17,178 undertrials, 6,949 inmates fell in this category, while 4,657 were illiterate, the data revealed. Another 1,470 undertrials were graduates, 225 were postgraduates and 160 held technical degrees or diplomas, while 317 had completed Class 10 but had done graduation. Among detenues, six had not completed Class 10, two were illiterate, while one was a graduate. A detenu is a person taken into custody under preventive laws to deter them from committing a certain crime, often without trial. The data on terms of sentences showed that life imprisonment was the most common punishment among convicts in Delhi prisons. A total of 858 convicts were serving life terms, while 413 were serving sentences between 10 and 13 years. Another 348 convicts were serving terms between seven and nine years. Twelve convicts in Delhi prisons were on death row as on December 31, 2024. The NCRB data further showed that most inmates lodged in Delhi prisons belonged to the capital itself. Among convicts, 1,567 belonged to Delhi, while 626 were from other states and 39 were foreign nationals. Among undertrials, 12,522 belonged to Delhi, 3,979 were from other states and 677 were foreign nationals. Age-wise data showed that most convicts in Delhi prisons belonged to the 30-50 years age group. Of the 2,232 convicts, 1,392 inmates (62.4 per cent) fell in this category, while 450 convicts were aged between 18 and 30 years and 390 were aged 50 years and above. Among undertrials, the 18-30 years age group formed the largest segment, accounting for 9,938 inmates or 57.9 per cent of the total. Another 6,329 undertrials belonged to the 30-50 years category. Crime-wise classification showed that among the 1,937 convicts booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) offences, the largest category was offences affecting the human body, accounting for 1,026 convicts. This included 792 convicts booked for murder and 129 for attempt to murder. Delhi prisons also housed 461 convicts booked for offences against women, including 400 for rape, 33 for insult to modesty and 21 for dowry deaths. Offences against property accounted for 357 convicts, including cases of robbery, cheating and theft. Under Special and Local Laws (SLL), Delhi prisons housed 295 convicts, including 107 booked under liquor and narcotics drugs-related provisions and 55 under arms and explosives-related charges. The NCRB data also highlighted the presence of foreign nationals in Delhi's jails. A total of 724 foreign inmates were lodged in Delhi prisons, including 677 undertrials, 39 convicts and eight detenues. Among them, 587 were men and 137 were women. Pakistani nationals formed the largest group among foreign convicts at 13, followed by Nigerians at seven and Africans other than Nigerians at five. Among foreign undertrials, Nigerians formed the largest group at 305, followed by Africans other than Nigerians at 166 and other foreign nationals at 82.