Topic: 2025 – Treatment of Prisoners
Country: India
Delegate Name: Sarah Miller
Correctional facilities worldwide encounter problems such as overcrowding, inadequate healthcare, and limited access to legal aid. The Republic of India, with a population exceeding 1.47 billion, including 506,660 detainees, acknowledges the importance of fair treatment for inmates. The Republic of India is a nation committed to justice and rights. It admits the challenges in its prison system and endeavors to implement reforms aimed at improving prisoners’ rights and strengthening rehabilitation initiatives. The Republic of India has worked towards shifting its prison system to one centered on rehabilitation, efficiency, and humane treatment.
The Republic of India is involved in many government initiatives aimed at implementing reforms towards efficiency. For example, the E-prisons project, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, digitizes inmates’ records to improve transparency and prevent incorrect imprisonment. Additionally, the Republic of India has given legal support to prisoners by establishing legal aid clinics. These build on the FASTER system (Fast and Secure Transmission of Electronic Records), which accelerates the delivery of bail orders, ensuring the accused individual does not stay in jail longer than intended.
As a part of the modernization of the centuries-old Prisons Act of 1894, several government and international agencies, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), replaced it with the Model Prisons Act in 2023. The Model Prisons Act focuses on changing prisons from punishment to rehabilitation and also improving physical and mental health, and legal assistance. The Republic of India has begun to make use of public-private partnerships to highlight its strive towards fair treatment. The Shakti program, which addresses the female inmates’ needs like menstrual hygiene, is just one example.
The Republic of India has shown improvement in prison treatment over the past years, with these initiatives, and the rates of recidivism have been declining since 2016. It is developing open and semi-open prisons to encourage trust and facilitate the reintegration process. However, the country has recognized that it has not yet achieved fair treatment of prisoners in all prisons. To this end, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Model Prison Manual, which provides safeguards for prisoners, are to be actively involved.
The Republic of India is prepared to collaborate with other nations to achieve humane treatment of prisoners. The Republic of India’s goal within the Human Rights Council is to achieve better living conditions, establish better rehabilitation initiatives, and ensure that prisoners’ rights are protected throughout their incarceration. Through these efforts, the Republic of India shows its commitment to justice and human dignity.
Works Cited
“Committee Reports.” PRS Legislative Research, 22 Nov. 2025, https://www.unodc.org/southasia/frontpage/2024/November/india_-unodc-and-partners-champion-change-in-prison-healthcare-systems–launch-innovative-toolkit-for-officials-and-inmates.html?utm_source
Samarth, Pathak. “India: UNODC and Partners Champion Change in Prison Healthcare Systems, Launch Innovative Toolkit for Officials and Inmates.” Unodc.org, 2024, www.unodc.org/southasia/frontpage/2024/November/india_-unodc-and-partners-champion-change-in-prison-healthcare-systems–launch-innovative-toolkit-for-officials-and-inmates.html?utm_source
“Ministry of Home Affairs | Government of India.” Mha.gov.in, 18 Aug. 2025, www.mha.gov.in/en/commoncontent/prison-reforms?utm_source.
Nair, Ravi. “UNHRC’s Examination of India’s Periodic Report after 28 Years: Part 6 – South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC).” Hrdc.net, 9 July 2024, hrdc.net/unhrcs-examination-of-indias-periodic-report-after-28-years-part-6/?utm_source.
