West Bengal launched 840 prisoners who accomplished life-term since 2011: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (September 18, 2025) mentioned the State authorities has launched 840 prisoners serving life-terms since 2011, all of whom have served greater than 14 years of their sentences.

Ms. Banerjee, in a social media put up, added that one other 45 inmates at the moment are being launched following due authorized course of. “I lengthen my congratulations to them and all members of their households. I’ve realized that their conduct in jail life was good. This launch is in recognition of that,” the Chief Minister mentioned.

Emphasising that the work of the correctional system is to alter the mindset of criminals and produce them again into the mainstream of society, Ms. Banerjee expressed hope that the freed prisoners will turn out to be good residents.

The prisons in West Bengal have been combating excessive occupancy inside correctional houses together with the ‘jankhalash’ prisoners (those that stay in jail even after finishing their phrases).

The Prison Statistics in India-2022 report states that jails in West Bengal have a complete capability of 19,556 males and 1,920 females. However, as of December 21, 2021, the State has housed 26,994 males and 1,778 females, and 17 transgenders, which is housing 1.3 occasions their capability.

RTI activist Sair Ahamed has obtained knowledge on the regular rise within the whole variety of prisoners, from 23,810 in January 2019 to twenty-eight,789 in January 2022. The rise is steeper within the case of ‘jankhalash’ prisoner from 277 (226 males and 51 females) in 2019 to 401 (358 males and 43 females) in 2022. Since a substantial variety of prisoners in West Bengal are Bangladeshi nationals, they proceed to languish within the jail after finishing their time period.