3 min readBhubaneswarApr 1, 2026 06:55 AM IST
Overcrowding, congested living conditions, inadequate bathing spaces, not enough guards and a lack of essential security equipment were among key issues in Odisha’s prisons, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The report, tabled in the state Assembly on Tuesday, said that as many as 31 of 87 jails in Odisha were overcrowded. “Availability of less space per inmate led to congested living conditions for the prisoners. Such prisoners were deprived of the standard requisite space for sleeping and basic living conditions, as per the norms,” read the report.
Even as the Odisha model jail manual mandates covered cubicles for bathing at a rate of one for every 10 prisoners, and proper arrangements to ensure privacy, the CAG findings showed that against a requirement of 2,203 bathing units, only 916 were actually available. In some prisons, women inmates were using open pindis, or platforms, to take a bath.
Inadequate bathing spaces/toilets in jails deprived prisoners of their basic needs of sanitary living conditions, and instances of open bathing spaces for women inmates raised concerns regarding their privacy, the CAG report said.
While 3,515 staff were required in one shift to guard the prisons, the audit report said the government sanctioned only 1,680 posts, against which only 1,282 guarding staff were in position, leading to a deficiency of 2,233 staff.
In the audit, the CAG also found that essential security equipment required for safe and secure jail administration was either not available or not operational. As the CAG verified security essentials in 15 jails, it said door frame metal detectors were absent in four jails. Similarly, out of seven baggage scanners available in the 15 test-checked jails, only one baggage scanner was operational. Also, the mobile jammers available in some jails were not in working condition.
Due to the absence of security equipment, prisoners could not be scanned during admission to the prisons, especially for the purposes of detecting the possession of inadmissible items, said the audit report.
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It pointed out that during 46 search operations conducted in 2020-23 in the special jail in Bhubaneswar, authorities seized 74 mobile phones, 56 SIM cards, one pen drive, 26 empty liquor bottles, and 1.76 kg of ganja.
Lack of adequate guarding staff and security essentials also led to prisoners escaping from jails, the report said, pointing out that there were 29 such incidents during the audit period of 2020-23. Out of the 29, 17 were recaptured, but 12 are yet to be found.
Despite prisoners escaping custody, no adequate steps, such as deployment of essential guarding staff and providing the required equipment/ apparatus to staff, were taken by the department to guard against further such incidents, the audit report said.
The CAG audit also found inadequate healthcare facilities for prisoners, including a shortage of beds and clinical facilities. It further pointed out that inmates with psychiatric issues were kept with other prisoners instead of in mental health institutions or other places of safe custody.
