The number of prisoner deaths in the country’s jails has increased. More than 1,433 inmates have died between 2021 and this August. Prison authorities have not been able to give a satisfactory answer as to why so many prisoners are dying. Responsible officials at the prisons have also been unable to properly explain the alarming rise in prisoner deaths. They say doctor shortages, inadequate medical supplies, the absence of specialised hospitals in prisons, and staff shortages at existing hospitals mean critically ill patients often have to be taken outside the prison for treatment — and many die on the way to hospital. These deaths can never be acceptable.
According to Department of Prisons sources, 205 inmates died in 2021, 132 in 2022, 227 in 2023, 179 in 2024, 390 in 2025, and more than 300 so far this year through August. On average, 260 inmates die in prison each year. Over the past 20 months, the average has been more than 34 deaths a month. Human rights workers say this figure is not just concerning but genuinely alarming. Prisoners remain in state custody after being detained or arrested. If any prisoner’s death results from negligence, the state cannot avoid responsibility for it. Identifying the causes of these deaths and taking corrective action is urgently needed.
According to prison authorities, most prisoners currently entering jails are drug addicts or accused in drug cases. Those with addictions often fall ill soon after entering prison. There is no specialised hospital or medical system in prisons to treat sensitive conditions like addiction. Because of inadequate medical care, many of these prisoners die either on the way to hospital or after being admitted, contributing to the rising death toll.
Department of Prisons sources further said the inmate population across the country’s 74 prisons stood at 101,510 as of September 13 — against a total capacity of just 46,000. For this vast number of inmates, there are only two permanent doctors across all prisons combined. Even when doctors are posted, they are often unwilling to stay in the role long-term and later move elsewhere.
Asked about the rise in prison deaths, newly promoted Brigadier General Mohammad Mostofa Kamal, inspector general (prisons), told Amar Desh: “The death of an inmate in prison is never desirable. Currently, prison inmate numbers are more than double capacity. With such a large number of inmates, there may be gaps in management.” He added that the most concerning issue is that, alongside the number of inmates, the nature of the prison population has also changed. More than 30,000 inmates across the prisons are drug addicts or accused in drug cases. After entering prison, they are developing life-threatening conditions, including heart attacks and strokes. There is no separate specialised medical system for addicted inmates in prisons. He said a study is urgently needed into the rising death toll among addicted inmates.
The IG (prisons) said: “Our biggest crisis is that we don’t have the necessary number of doctors. There are also major shortages of nurses and medical equipment. Dhaka Central Jail holds more than 14,000 inmates. A doctor comes from Dhaka’s civil surgeon’s office for just two to three hours a day. It’s not possible for one doctor to treat such a huge number of inmates.” He further said that, at times, people also fall ill in prison due to mental stress and their surrounding circumstances. On average, more than 900,000 people enter and leave prison each year. According to a 2023 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) report, the country’s average death rate is more than six per thousand population — so, relative to that annual turnover of 900,000, this death rate is not especially high.
The IG (prisons) added: “Whatever the statistics say, we don’t want any deaths in prison. We provide a service, and we want to improve the quality of that service. We want doctors and nurses present in prisons 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so that any sick inmate gets the necessary treatment. The government is also working sincerely to increase medical facilities in prisons. Alongside existing ambulances, 44 new ambulances have been announced. A project to establish a central prison hospital has also been taken up. Steps have been taken to address the doctor and nurse shortage. Once these projects are implemented, it will be possible to ensure proper medical care for prison inmates.”
Four deaths in two days at Dhaka Central Jail
Four inmates died at Dhaka’s Keraniganj Central Jail on Sunday and Monday. Among them, Abdul Mabud, 58, a pre-trial detainee who fell ill on Sunday, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Prison guard Saiful Islam took him to the hospital from Keraniganj at midday while he was ill, and the duty doctor at the emergency department declared him dead. Abdul Mabud’s home was in Hamimpur, under Chandanaish police station, Chattogram. His father’s name was Abdul Sobahan.
The same day, convicted prisoner Abdul Barek, 70, who fell ill at Dhaka’s Keraniganj Central Jail, died at DMCH while under treatment. He had been imprisoned in a murder case. His home was in Netrokona, and his father’s name was Abdul Khalek. His son, Delwar, said his father fell ill in prison due to extreme heat and other unknown causes. With no proper medical facilities available there, his father died on the way to hospital after prison authorities decided to move him.
Meanwhile, on Monday morning, two other ill convicts brought from Keraniganj jail, Rafiqul Islam, 54, and Abdur Rahim, 60, died at the hospital. Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost in-charge, Inspector Md Habibur Rahman, confirmed the deaths. Rafiqul’s father’s name was Md Rajab Ali, and his home was in Patranabish village, Ulipur, Kurigram. He had been serving a life sentence in a murder case.
Convicted inmate Abdur Rahim, 60, also died on Monday morning while under treatment at DMCH. He had been admitted by prison guards to DMCH on September 3 after falling ill. Abdur Rahim was a resident of Dhaka’s Gendaria and had been serving a seven-year sentence in an arms case. His daughter, Bristi, told Amar Desh: “My father suffered a stroke at Kashimpur jail. Since there was no proper treatment available there, he was sent to Keraniganj. From there, he was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he died.” She added: “My father did not get the necessary treatment after falling ill. If he had received proper treatment immediately, he might have survived.”
Doctor shortage at a critical level
There are 148 approved permanent doctor posts for the country’s 74 prison hospitals. But currently, only two permanent doctors serve across all these hospitals. In the absence of permanent doctors, 101 doctors are sent to prison hospitals on a temporary basis from the relevant district civil surgeon’s office. Prison officials say these temporary doctors arrive in the morning and leave after midday or in the afternoon. As a result, if any inmate falls ill at night, they must be sent to an outside hospital for immediate treatment. Even emergency calls often fail to reach a doctor.
Steps taken to address the crisis
Prison authorities have taken several urgent steps to reduce inmate deaths. To ensure advanced, specialised medical care for prisoners, plans have been made to build a modern central prison hospital at Dhaka Central Jail (Keraniganj). A similar central hospital is also planned for Narayanganj. Steps have been taken to recruit doctors and health workers to address the medical crisis in prisons. The recruitment of 55 diploma nurses under the Department of Prisons has been recommended, and they will be posted soon. Work is under way to fill vacant permanent doctor posts and to increase the number of doctors attached through civil surgeon offices. Forty-four new ambulances are being purchased for prison healthcare. A modern pathology laboratory is also planned at prison headquarters to expand pathological testing and diagnostic facilities for prison officials, staff and inmates. A “Guideline for Prison Health Interventions in Bangladesh” has been developed to manage inmates’ mental health, addiction and infectious diseases. As part of disease prevention, safe water systems are being installed in prisons; a mineral drinking water plant has been set up at Kashimpur Central Jail-2, and sanitation systems are being upgraded.
Prison authorities say a hospital was built at Gazipur’s Kashimpur Central Jail-2 in 2003 to treat inmates’ complex illnesses. Despite having medical equipment, this 200-bed hospital has never been able to become fully operational because of a shortage of doctors, nurses and other staff.
Rights workers voice concern
Prominent human rights worker Nur Khan Liton has expressed concern over the rising number of prisoner deaths. He told Amar Desh: “The rise in the prisoner death rate is a matter of serious concern. Prison authorities are still saying the same things they said before about prisoner deaths. But the reality is that deaths in prison have increased recently. The underlying causes of these deaths should be investigated. Whether the reasons prison authorities are giving are the real cause, or whether there is some other cause we don’t know about, needs to be examined.”
Nur Khan said: “Being a prisoner means being in the custody of the state. Responsibility for that person’s death ultimately rests with the state. If authorities say there are no doctors or specialised hospitals, that cannot be an acceptable excuse. We need to look at whether prisoners’ living conditions, food quality and sanitation are adequate. Another matter that deserves special scrutiny is at what time, and at what age, prisoners are dying most — and whether they are dying during detention or interrogation. Equal rights must be ensured for every citizen.”