The number of prison inmates in Telangana rose by nearly 12% in 2025, driven largely by an increase in cyber crime and drunk driving cases, according to the Annual Report presented by the Telangana Prisons Department on Monday (January 12, 2026).
According to Director General of Telangana Prisons, Soumya Mishra, the total number of inmates increased from 38,079 in 2024 to 42,566 in 2025, with undertrials forming the bulk at 36,627. The number of convicted prisoners rose from 3,229 to 5,856, while the number of detenues more than doubled. Cyber crime cases recorded the highest jump at over 135%, followed by drunk driving cases, which rose by more than 150%. Cases under the NDPS Act, POCSO Act, murder, property offences and crimes against women also showed an upward trend. The number of foreign nationals as inmates, however, declined from 107 to 74.
Repeat offenders increase
The age group of 18 to 30 years accounted for the largest share of new inmates, followed by those between 31 and 50 years. Repeat offenders increased from 1,468 in 2024 to 2,496 in 2025, pointing to continuing challenges in preventing recidivism.
The Director General added that court production of prisoners saw a major shift towards digital processes. “In 2025, a total of 1,93,404 court productions were recorded, with nearly 70% conducted through video conferencing, compared to about 56% in 2024. The overall physical production rate also improved, reflecting better coordination between prisons, police and courts,” she said.
The prison administration expanded the use of video conferencing for court production and rolled out a wide range of rehabilitation, healthcare, skill development and technology initiatives.
Legal aid infrastructure was strengthened with the support of the State and District Legal Services Authorities. As many as 155 panel advocates and 47 para-legal volunteers are now working in prisons. During the year, 44 jail adalaths were held, in which 1,558 cases were heard and 985 prisoners were released. Under the Support to Poor Prisoners Scheme, 18 inmates secured release on bail with government assistance, with Telangana standing first in the country in implementing the programme.
23,000 prisoners provided with literacy
Education and skill development remained a key focus. Over 23,000 prisoners were made literate under the literacy drive, while 108 inmates enrolled for Class X examinations through the National Institute of Open Schooling. Twenty-eight inmates completed graduation through Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University study centres. Nearly 4,615 convicts, about 79% of those admitted in 2025, received vocational training in trades ranging from welding and tailoring to beekeeping, bakery work and printing. Prison industries and agricultural units generated wages exceeding ₹1.63 crore for inmates during the year.
Interest-free loans continued to be extended to prisoners, a scheme unique to Telangana, with 58 inmates receiving financial assistance in 2025. Behavioural therapy programmes such as Unnathi and psycho-social counselling covered more than 1,500 inmates, while de-addiction centres branded as Nivrutti were established in major prisons, with structured screening, treatment and post-release follow-up.
Rehabilitation
In the area of rehabilitation, the department expanded its network of fuel outlets operated by semi-open and released prisoners in partnership with national oil companies. Three new outlets were opened during the year, and more than ₹3.79 crore was paid as salaries to inmates working in these units. Initiatives such as sentence planning, waste-to-wealth programmes, agarbatti production from temple flowers and apiculture projects were also scaled up, with nearly 500 kg of honey produced across six prisons.
Technology upgradation was another major thrust. Equipment worth ₹2.5 crore, including computers, biometric devices, body-worn cameras, drones and surveillance systems, was supplied under the ICJS 2.0 and modernisation schemes. An IT Cell was set up at the prison headquarters, a Swagatham portal for digital visitor management was launched, and steps were initiated for e-Office and biometric attendance across all jails. The High Court has also approved the installation of kiosk machines in prisons to enable inmates to access case details, legal aid and appeal filing services.
Published – January 12, 2026 01:46 pm IST