Prisons in Bangladesh are severely overcrowded by over three times their actual capacity. This is due to an inefficient, irregular and anachronistic criminal justice system. Bangladesh’s prisons are governed by laws which date back to the 19th century. Many people, particularly the poor, face severe violations of their human rights. Prisoners have limited access to legal assistance. Many prisoners spend months or years awaiting a court date. A staggering 70 % of the prison population is yet to be convicted. The objective of the joint Bangladesh-German project ‘Improvement of the Real Situation of Overcrowding in Prisons in Bangladesh’ (IRSOP) is to reduce prison overcrowding and improve legal protection for poor and vulnerable prisoners. There is a focus on speeding up the release of those detainees whose detention was unlawful or disproportionate, especially women, children and other disadvantaged groups.
The “Promising Practices” series presents development cooperation programs that have implemented elements of a human rights-based approach. The individual publications describe the measures implemented by the project, its impact and lessons learned.
