Lok Sabha Question No. 5488 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-05
Subject: Pregnant Women Prisoners
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Chinta Anuradha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5488

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 05 TH  APRIL, 2022/ CHAITRA 15, 1944 (SAKA)

PREGNANT WOMEN PRISONERS

5488.      SHRIMATI CHINTA ANURADHA:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  percentage/proportion  of  women  in  prisons  during  the  year  2019  and 2020;
- (b)  whether  any  study  has  been  conducted  to  identify  the  proportion  of pregnant women prisoners in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any measures are taken to track and report pregnancy related data and routine screening for pregnancy/pregnant women prisoners; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISHRA)

(a)  to  (d):  National  Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB)  compiles  prison  statistics reported to it by States and Union Territories (UTs) and publishes the same in its annual publication 'Prison Statistics India'. The latest published report is of the  year  2020.  Details  of  the  total  number  of  prison  inmates  and  females inmates as on 31 st  December 2019 and 2020 are as follows:

|   Year |   Total Number Prison inmates |   Number of Female inmates |
|--------|-------------------------------|----------------------------|
|   2019 |                        478600 |                      19913 |
|   2020 |                        488511 |                      20046 |

'Prisons'/'persons  detained  therein'  is  a  'State-List'  subject  as  per  Entry  4  of List  II  of  Seventh  Schedule  to  the  Constitution  of  India.  Administration  and management of prisoners is the responsibility of respective State Governments, who are competent to take appropriate steps for medical check-up of women inmates/ screening for pregnancy, etc. However, the specific data in this regard is not reported/ maintained centrally.

The  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  (MHA)  has  been  supplementing  the  efforts  of State  Governments by issuing various advisories and guidelines from time to time.  A  comprehensive  Model  Prison  Manual  2016  was  prepared by  MHA  and forwarded to all States and UTs in 2016. The Manual has a dedicated chapter on  'Women  Prisoners',  which,  inter-alia,  provides  that    every  women  prisoner shall be medically examined on admission to prison by a lady Medical Officer and in case a prisoner is suspected to be pregnant, the women prisoner shall be sent to the District Hospital for detailed examination and report.  MHA has also  issued  a  detailed  advisory  to  States  and  UTs  sharing  the  guidelines  for providing  facilities  to  women  prisoners  and  their  children,  which,  inter-alia, provide that a jail must have adequate facilities for prenatal and post-natal care for female prisoners. MHA had also forwarded a report titled 'Women in Prisons' received from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, to all States and UTs for implementation of the suggestions contained in the report relating to women inmates.

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