Nagpur: Maharashtra’s prison administration has come under scrutiny after official figures revealed that the State recorded one of the highest numbers of prison escapes in the country during 2024, while also posting a poor record in tracing and re-arresting absconding inmates.
According to the latest Prison Statistics of India 2024 report, Maharashtra reported 14 prison escape cases during the year, placing it among the States with the highest number of jailbreaks and prison absconding incidents. Only Chhattisgarh (19 cases) and West Bengal (17 cases) recorded more escapes, while Maharashtra shared the third position with Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
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What has drawn particular attention, however, is the fact that seven of the 14 inmates escaped from inside prisons, the highest number reported by any State, jointly with Odisha. The figures have triggered fresh concerns over prison security, supervision mechanisms and the effectiveness of systems meant to monitor inmates.
Even more troubling is Maharashtra’s low recapture rate. Of the 14 prisoners who escaped during 2024, only three had been traced and re-arrested by the end of the year, leaving the majority still unaccounted for.
The contrast with several other States is striking. Tamil Nadu succeeded in re-arresting 13 of its 14 escapees, while Uttar Pradesh managed to track down 10 out of 11 fugitives, highlighting the challenges faced by Maharashtra in locating absconding prisoners.
Open prisons under lens
The data has once again put Maharashtra’s open prison system under the spotlight. Open prisons are designed to promote rehabilitation and reintegration by providing selected inmates with greater freedom based on their conduct and behaviour.
One of the most notable breaches occurred at the Yerawada Open Prison in Pune, where murder convict Atmaram Ladkya Bhavar allegedly escaped from the facility in July 2024 after being shifted there due to his good conduct. Barely a month later, another life convict, Raju Pandharinath Dusane, also managed to flee from the same prison.
Prison authorities later disclosed that four inmates had escaped from the Yerawada Open Prison since late 2023, raising questions about monitoring systems at minimum-security facilities.
Officials and experts believe the issue is not confined to a single institution. Records of the Maharashtra Prison Department indicate that 34 convicts escaped from the State’s 19 open prisons between 2019 and 2024, including six during 2024 alone.
Security experts argue that the recurring incidents point to broader systemic challenges. A retired police officer familiar with prison administration said repeated escapes suggest that inmate assessment mechanisms may require a review.
“Open prisons are based on trust and rehabilitation, but repeated incidents indicate that the process of evaluating inmates before transferring them to such facilities may need strengthening. Behaviour inside prison should be one of several factors considered,” he observed.
Former prison officials have also highlighted chronic manpower shortages as a major concern. According to retired officers, vacancies in prison establishments often affect surveillance, escort duties and intelligence gathering, making it difficult to maintain strict monitoring of inmates.
They contend that escapes from within prison premises are particularly alarming because they may indicate weaknesses in supervision and internal security arrangements.
Experts further point out that while prison escapes can occur despite preventive measures, delays in tracing fugitives raise questions about coordination between prison authorities and local police agencies.
Need for reforms
Nationwide, 178 prisoners escaped from custody in 2024, of whom only 85 had been re-arrested by year-end. Maharashtra alone accounted for nearly 8 per cent of all prison escape cases reported across the country.
Despite the concerns, prison reform experts maintain that open prisons remain an important component of the correctional system and should not be abandoned. Instead, they advocate stronger inmate screening procedures, improved surveillance infrastructure, regular counselling programmes and closer coordination between prison authorities and district police to reduce the risk of future escapes.
The latest figures have reignited the debate on balancing rehabilitation with security, with experts calling for urgent reforms to ensure that the objective of prisoner reformation does not come at the cost of public safety.
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