Parliament Question: Reforms in Prison Data Collection Indicators

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4223 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1ST APRIL, 2026/ CHAITRA 11, 1948 (SAKA) REFORMS IN PRISON DATA COLLECTION INDICATORS 4223. SHRI S NIRANJAN REDDY: Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether Government proposes to expand prison data collection beyond aggregate numbers to include indicators such as duration of incarceration, bail status, access to legal aid and living conditions; (b) whether any reform is planned in the Prison Statistics India (PSI) framework; and (c) the timeline for implementing such reforms to improve transparency and accountability in prison administration? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI BANDI SANJAY KUMAR) (a) to (c): While the ‘Prison Statistics India (PSI)’ continues to serve as an annual statistical compendium, over the years, the Government of India has endeavoured to transition from a traditional aggregate data system to a real- time, granular data ecosystem under the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS), through its various pillars namely - Police (Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network Systems), e-Forensics, e-Courts, e-Prosecution and e- Prisons. Functional indicators such as duration of incarceration, bail status, etc. are being actively captured and monitored through the various pillars of the ICJS.-2- R.S.US.Q.NO. 4223 FOR 01.04.2026 The integration of these parameters into a unified digital platform ensures that the data is not merely collected for record-keeping but is also used for active case management and bringing in systemic transparency and accountability in prison administration. Consequently, the refinement of the PSI reporting format is part of a regular synchronization process to align annual statistical publications with the sophisticated transactional data available on the ICJS platform. *****