Prisons in Pakistan

Prisons in Pakistan and their administration, is a Provincial competency under the Constitution of Pakistan. Pakistan has the 23rd largest prison population in the world and the 5th largest death row population. Around 64.5% of prisoners are awaiting trial prisoners. 98.6% of prisoners are male, 1.7% are juveniles and 1.2% of those held are foreign citizens. With a total inmate population of 102,026 distributed across 128 correctional facilities spanning the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the country's prison system grapples with severe operational pressures, further exacerbated by the fact that over three-quarters of the prison population, 74,918 individuals, remain under trial.

Types of prisons The most common and standard jail institutions are Central Jails, District Jails and Sub Jails. The other types of jail establishments are Women Jails, Borstal Schools, and Special Jails.

Rehabilitation and diversion programs remain largely neglected, with no community service as an alternative sentence. Vulnerable groups, women, juveniles, and individuals with psychosocial disabilities, lack adequate protections. Meaningful reform demands the urgent enforcement of revised Prison Rules and alignment with global standards, including the Mandela, Bangkok, and Beijing Rules, to foster a just and humane penal system.

List of Prisons Pakistan's 128 prisons, designed for 65,811 inmates, remain severely overcrowded despite infrastructural expansions. Resource constraints and a punitive reliance on detention continue to define the system.

Pakistan has four dedicated women's prisons—three in Sindh (Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur) and one in Punjab (Multan), while most female inmates are housed in separate barracks within male prisons. Juvenile offenders are accommodated in five facilities, including Youth Offenders Industrial School and Borstal Institutes, with two in Punjab (Faisalabad, Bahawalpur) and three in Sindh (Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur).

Province No of Prisons Capacity Balochistan 11 2173 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 23 7982 Punjab 43 37217 Sindh 26 10285

Islamabad Islamabad Jail Complex, under construction

Balochistan Prisons Department of Balochistan has following Jails: Jails in Balochistan Central Jail Mach Central Jail Khuzdar Central Jail Gadani Central Jail Mastung District Jail Quetta District Jail Sibi District Jail Kech District Jail Loralai District Jail Turbat District Jail Dera Murad Jamali District Jail Zhob

Gilgit Baltistan Prisons in Gilgit Baltistan are under jurisdiction of Home and Prison Department. Jails in Gilgit Baltistan District Jail Gilgit District Jail Ghizer District Jail Skardu District Jail Diamer Gahkuch Jail

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prisons in Azad Jammu and Kashmir are under jurisdiction of AJK Prison Department. Jails in Azad Jammu and Kashmir Central Jail Mirpur Central Jail Muzaffarabad District Jail Bagh

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtukhwa Prisons inspectorate is an attached department of Home and Tribal Affairs Department. The Inspectorate of Prisons supervises the operation and management of 22 prisons and 5 internment centers.prisons.kp.gov.pk Jails in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa High Security Prison Mardan Central Prison Peshawar Central Prison Haripur Central Prison Bannu Central Prison DI Khan District Jail Mansehra District Jail Kohat District Jail Timargara District Jail Abbottabad District Jail Chitral District Jail Swat Sub Jail Upper Dir Sub Jail Dassu Kohistan Sub Jail Battagram Sub Jail Charsadda Sub Jail Daggar Sub Jail Chakdara Sub Jail Karak Sub Jail Lakki Marwat Judicial Lockup Malakand Judicial Lockup Nowshehra Judicial Lockup Hangu Judicial Lockup Swabi

Punjab

Serial No.Name of RegionName of JailYear of Construction 01. Lahore RegionCentral Jail Lahore (at Kot Lakhpat) 1965–1967 02. Central Jail Gujranwala1854 03. Central Jail Sahiwal1899 04. District Jail Okara2015 05. District Jail Lahore1930 06. District Jail Sheikhupura1921 07. District Jail Kasur1929 08. District Jail Sialkot1865 09. Multan RegionNew Central Jail Multan1930 10. New Central Jail Bahawalpur1955 11. Borstal Institution and Juvenile Jail Bahawalpur1882 12. Central Jail Dera Ghazi Khan1913 13. District Jail Multan1872 14. District Jail Rajanpur1860 14-A. District Jail Layyah2015 15. District Jail Vehari 2005-06 16. Women Jail Multan1973-74 17. District Jail Rahim Yar Khan1950 18. District Jail Bahawalnagar1947 19. District Jail Muzaffar Garh1908 20. Rawalpindi RegionCentral Jail Rawalpindi1985–86 21. District Jail Attock1906 22. District Jail Jhelum1854 23. District Jail Mandi Bahauddin1978 24. District Jail Gujrat1930 25. Sub Jail Chakwal1998 26. Faisalabad RegionCentral Jail Faisalabad1971 27. Central Jail Mianwali1903 28. Borstal Institution and Juvenile Jail Faisalabad2001 29. District Jail Faisalabad1873 30. District Jail Jhang1975 31. District Jail Toba Tek Singh 2005-06 32. District Jail Sargodha1910 33. District Jail Shahpur1873 34. District Jail Bhakkar

Sindh Karachi Region Central Prison Karachi District Prison Malir Karachi Central Prison for Women Karachi

Hyderabad Region Central Prison Hyderabad Special Prison Nara Hyderabad District Prison Badin District Prison Mirpurkhas District Prison Shaheed Benazirabad District Prison Sanghar District Prison Dadu Open Prison Badin

Sukkur Region Central Prison Sukkur Central Prison Larkana Central Prison Khairpur District Prison Sukkur District Prison Shikarpur District Prison Naushahroferoze District Prison Ghotki District Prison Jacobabad Special Prison for Women Larkana

Training

Federal

The National Academy for Prisons Administration is the Federal Government's department for setting the standards of prison staff and is in charge of the training for all the prison staff in every provinces of Pakistan. It operates under Ministry of Interior. The academy is based in Lahore.

Sindh Government of Sindh runs a training institute at Sindh Prisons Staff Training Institute Nara Hyderabad.

Punjab Government of Punjab runs Punjab Prisons Staff Training Institute in Lahore.

Prisons in Pakistan

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