NCJ Number
166217
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 20 Issue: 1 & 2 Dated: (Spring/Fall 1996) Pages: 31-40
Date Published
1996
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the conditions of jails in Bangladesh, which have remained largely unchanged for 20 years.
Abstract
This study includes descriptions of the problems of overcrowding, jail facilities, and health care delivery. Six jails comprising one central jail, three district jails, and two sub-jails were studied. Data were taken from jail records, interviews of jail officers, and inmates. Overcrowding was a more serious problem in the metropolitan district jails because of a heavy influx of short-term convicts. Respondents emphasized the need for separate jails for undertrial prisoners. Health care services, particularly in sub-jails, were very poor. Institutional treatment programs such as individual or group counseling were not available in jails. Inadequate space, lack of recreational facilities, and poor environmental conditions were the critical problems. Although a bureaucratic process exists for improving the situation, there has been little action beyond developing a plan for expansion of existing facilities. Tables, notes, references, appendix