Theme/Relevant Ministry:

GOVERNANCE
Police Service of Pakistan; Prisons Departments; M/o Interior; Interior Departments

Project Brief:

A prison is not merely a space for the confinement of criminals and individuals facing criminal trials. More importantly, it provides the correctional and rehabilitation facilities. However, prisons have also been associated with increased criminality. The proposed study asks whether the conditions prevailing in prisons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provide a route to further criminality or rehabilitation. To investigate this question, the study will take a general-to-specific method. At the general stage, the research will generate a dataset of all prisons in KP. Such a dataset will include the total number of prisons, the allotted and actual number of prisoners in each prison, available financial resources and human and infrastructural facitilities. After establishing a general trend, the study will identify and position Haripur Jail in the the overall trend. Based on quantitative and qualitative analysis, the study will investigate whether and to what degree the Haripur Jail provides a space for the rehabilitation of criminals.

Public Policy Relevance:

By focusing on Haripur jail, this study aims to explore the present-day situation of the prison system of Pakistan with a particular focus on prison conditions. The study is important for three central reasons: one, with better rehabilitation strategies developed through a better understanding of how prison time may contribute to criminality, we can reduce future criminal behavior. This may reduce the prison population over time, freeing government resources for allocation elsewhere. Second, as things stand, Pakistan stands in deviation from global best practices related to prisons. The research will enlighten us as to the degree to which such deviation exists and how to best address it. Third, prison reforms have been introduced in Pakistan on many occasions. However, these have been undertaken without empirical studies. This research will fill that vacuum and allow policymakers to make evidence-based policies and reforms for the sector.