Death in Prisons

Abstract

Prison Deaths are labeled as Natural or Unnatural by the Prison Statistics India report published by
the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) every year.
o In 2021, a total of 2,116 prisoners died in judicial custody, with almost 90% of cases recorded as natural
deaths.
 Natural Deaths account for aging and illness. Illness has been further sub-categorized into diseases such as
heart conditions, HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer, among others.
o As the prison population swells, recorded natural deaths have increased from 1,424 in 2016 to 1,879 in 2021.