Know About The 7 Largest Central Jails of India

There are more than 1300 jails in India. They can accommodate more than 3 lakhs prisoners. There are Central Jails, District jails, Sub-jails, Women jails, Open jails, Borstal jails, special jails, and other jails. A Central jail is where a prisoner is sent if he/she has a sentence of more than two years. Many of the Central Jails in use today were built during British times. Many have historical importance as they have held Indian Freedom Fighters. These jails can accommodate more prisoners and also have facilities for rehabilitation. Of all the Central jails, there are seven which are the biggest as listed below:

1. Tihar Jail:

• It is considered the largest jail complex in South Asia
• Location: Delhi
• This jail has nine central prisons under it. It is in operation from 1957. It can accommodate 5200 prisoners.
• It is a rehabilitation center and teaches skills useful for the prisoner to be re-integrated into society.
• They use music therapy with concerts as part of the rehabilitation
• They have an industrial center which produces products with the name Tihar.

2. Yerawada Central Prison:

• This is a High-Security prison, located in Maharashtra
• Location: Pune
• It has an open prison also within the campus
• It is 500 acres
• Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned here during the freedom struggle.
• Today it holds 3600 prisoners.

3. Puzhal Central Prison:

• It is one of the largest prisons in India
• Location: Tiruvallur, Chennai
• It is 212 acres and has three complexes
• It holds 3000 prisoners
• There is a special jail for women
• It has been open since 2006

4. Rajahmundry Central prison:

• Location: Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh
• It was initially a fort built by the Dutch, and it was converted into a prison by the British in 1864.
• It is 196 acres
• There are 37 acres of buildings
• It can hold 1864 prisoners.

5. Naini Central Prison:

• Location: Naini near Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
• It was built during the British rule
• It has a high-security area
• There is an open prison also.
• Its capacity is 3000 prisoners

6. Alipore Central Jail:

• Location: Alipore, Kolkata
• It was built in the British period in 1910
• It held political prisoners of which the most famous was Subhash Chandra
• It has a capacity of 2000 prisoners

7. Vellore Central Prison:

• Location: Vellore, Tamil Nadu
• It was opened in 1867
• It is the second largest prison in Tamil Nadu

It has housed many freedom fighters like V V Giri, C. Rajagopalachari, and R. Venkataraman.