A total of 690 prisoners who escaped from several jails following the July Mass Uprising in 2024 are still at large, while the prison authorities have no data on 166 of them, said Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Md Motaher Hossain on Tuesday.

He disclosed the information at a press conference on contemporary issues and various activities of the Department of Prisons at its headquarters in Bakshibazar, Dhaka.

According to the prison chief, 2,247 prisoners escaped after breaking out of jails in 2024, of whom 690 remain fugitive.

A total of 826 prisoners escaped from Narsingdi District Jail alone, but the authorities have been unable to trace the data of 166 of those escapees, he said. Nine militant prisoners also escaped from different jails, of whom six have since been arrested while three remain at large, Motaher said.

The inspector general said overcrowding remained one of the major challenges facing the prison system, with the number of inmates exceeding twice the authorised capacity in some cases.

‘The current situation makes it difficult to keep militant prisoners separately,’ he said.

He said that the prison authorities were working not only to operate jails but also to lay the foundation for a modern correctional system that would give equal importance to security, rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners and the professional dignity, skills and welfare of prison officials and employees.

Motaher said that Mymensingh District Jail had been operating as a cashless prison since June 24, creating greater scope for transparency in prison management.

The department has also reorganised its administrative structure at the headquarters and divisional levels to improve the efficiency of prison administration, he said.

Regarding the longstanding shortage of manpower, the prison chief said 1,899 new posts had already been approved, while a proposal for another 1,500 posts had been sent to the relevant authorities.

He further said that the recruitment process was being made transparent, competitive, merit-based and technology-driven.

Greater use of technology had reduced opportunities for irregularities and middlemen and helped authorities identify impersonators at different stages of recruitment, he said.

‘Merit, competence, integrity and professional efficiency will be the primary considerations in recruitment to the prison department,’ Motaher said.

The prison authorities have also taken initiatives to open new jails to reduce overcrowding and increase management capacity, he said.

Two central jails and eight district jails have already been opened as part of the initiative, according to the inspector general.

The department has also taken steps to reorganise Dhaka Division by dividing it into two divisions to improve administrative coordination, he said.

SM/CitizenTimes