A jail official in Jharkhand is effectively doing the work of three officials as 62.9% of all sanctioned posts in the state's prisons remain vacant, according to the Prison Statistics of India (PSI) 2024 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) earlier this month.
The state has 32 jails with a total sanctioned staff strength of 2,721. However, only 1,008 staffers were working in 2024, leaving 1,713 vacancies statewide. Among them were 816 jail officials, who had to manage an average of 19 inmates each. There were 81 medical staff for 16,201 inmates. Out of the sanctioned posts of 29 jailors and 67 assistant jailors, only six each were filled in 2024, the report states.
Consistent trend of high vacancies
The India Justice Report (IJR) 2025, which analyzes data from government reports like PSI, found that this has been a persistent trend in Jharkhand. The state has consistently recorded vacancies of over 60%, with the highest vacancies in PSI 2022 and 2024 at 63%.
Jharkhand has performed poorly since 2019 in terms of prison rankings, the IJR 2025 report said. With a low score of 3.81 in the current IJR, the state finished at the 17th spot out of 18 large and mid-sized states.
Impact on correctional services
This chronic shortage of staff directly impacts correctional services like education and vocational training. "We have to understand the high-stress environment that the jail staff work under, and a major complaint has always been that the remuneration is not at par with the efforts they have to put in on a daily basis," said Kritika Swami, a criminal justice researcher and advocate who is a faculty member at a Sonipat-based institute.
Correctional services take a hit as addressing basic issues remains a challenge. In 2024, there was one correctional staffer for the state's 16,201 prisoners. Experts said prisons across the country are in dire need of social workers and psychologists.
Reasons for staff shortage
Experts further said another reason for the lack of staff is the reluctance to join a high-stress, 'thankless' job. Students graduating in social work or holding a degree in community psychology do not find stable, lucrative careers in correctional institutions. "Another issue is that they have no training, no sensitization whatsoever to navigate a high-stress correctional setting," Swami said.
The high number of undertrials, which accounts for nearly 69.3% of the population in jails, also poses another challenge for jail officials who are already stretched thin managing 32 facilities across the state.
Judicial measures to ease pressure
This is where the judiciary can help. "Depending on the gravity of the offense, judges have at their discretion the power to impose various non-custodial measures on low-risk offenders as an alternative to imprisonment. These must balance rehabilitation of the offender with community safety and well-being. Such measures include fines and compounding, probation, community service orders, release on parole, conditional release on bail, and house arrest," said the IJR 2025.
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-Custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules) advocate for non-custodial alternatives during pre-trial, sentencing, and early release. In India, particularly, the Probation of Offenders Act 1958 minimizes incarceration for young or first-time offenders through admonitions, good-behavior bonds, or supervision.
While common in the US, European nations, and Japan, community service was rarely applied in India until the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 officially introduced it. Currently, bail remains India's primary alternative, with courts harping on the 'bail not jail' dictum.
Under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, undertrials can also claim statutory bail after serving half their maximum sentence, a benefit extended to first-time offenders after serving one-third of their sentence. These measures, once applied to the full extent, should help ease the pressure on overworked jail staff and give them the opportunity to prioritize correctional facilities.
