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JPP’s Prison Reform project aims to enhance protections granted to prisoners under Pakistani law and align them with UN minimum standards, safeguard their rights, and ensure their dignity. We continue to work tirelessly with stakeholders at all levels to advocate for systemic change.
Prison overcrowding is a pressing issue that affects the lives of countless individuals. It stems from various factors, including harsh sentencing laws and inadequate resources for rehabilitation.
Under-Trial Prisoners: Approximately 73.4% of inmates are under-trial, indicating a significant reliance on pre-conviction detention.
National Overcrowding Rate: Prisons are operating at 152.2% capacity.
Overcrowding: 76% of inmates are housed in overcrowded facilities.
Under-Trial Detention: High percentages of under-trial prisoners across provinces indicate systemic delays in the judicial process.
Death Row Population: A significant number of inmates are on death row, with the majority convicted of murder.
Facility Conditions: Many prisons lack adequate infrastructure, leading to poor living conditions and health risks for inmates.
Total Prison Population: 100,366 inmates across 127 jails.
Advocacy and Policy Reform: Beyond the courtroom, JPP engages in robust advocacy efforts to influence policy changes. Notably, our work contributed to the enactment of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022, aligning Pakistan’s laws with international human rights standards.
Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) is committed to safeguarding the rights of Pakistan’s most vulnerable prisoners, both domestically and abroad. Through a multifaceted approach, JPP works to ensure equitable access to justice:
Through publications like the Prison Data Dashboards and The Torture Report, JPP has documented overcrowding, denial of medical care, and custodial abuse in Pakistani prisons — transforming anecdotal concerns into actionable data for reform.
JPP has consistently pushed for compliance with the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), advocating for improved healthcare, sanitation, ventilation, and protection from torture.
Prison conditions in Pakistan remain deeply underreported — overcrowding, poor sanitation, limited healthcare, and systemic neglect continue to harm vulnerable populations. These conditions not only violate basic human rights but also contribute to long-term psychological and physical harm, undermining rehabilitation.
JPP has extensive experience producing data-driven outputs to drive prison reform. In 2022, JPP published “Serving Time: Pakistan’s Prisons Through the Ages”, a landmark book and interactive web project capturing the lived experiences of prisoners and tracing the evolution of Pakistan’s penal system. More recently, JPP released Pakistan’s Prison Landscape: Trends, Data and Development (2024), offering the most comprehensive national overview of prison statistics to date.
At Justice Project Pakistan, our work inside prisons begins with a simple conviction: that human dignity does not end at the prison gate. We believe that every person — regardless of their sentence, background, or circumstance — is entitled to safety, healthcare, legal protection, and humane treatment.
Through direct legal assistance, we represent the most vulnerable: prisoners facing the death penalty, individuals with mental illness, and those incarcerated without access to fair trials. Our evidence-based advocacy challenges systemic injustices — from overcrowding and abuse to the denial of medical care — by bringing data, stories, and legal insight into public and policy spaces.
We also build strategic partnerships with civil society, public institutions, and international allies to push for long-term reform. Whether it’s supporting legislative change or improving prison oversight, our goal is to create a system that protects rather than punishes human dignity.
This work is slow, deliberate, and often invisible — but its impact is real. Because improving prison conditions is not just a legal fight — it’s a human one.
We provide critical legal support to incarcerated individuals, helping them navigate an often hostile and complex justice system. Our team advocates for fair trials, humane treatment, and access to basic rights within detention.
Through public campaigns and policy engagement, we bring attention to prison conditions and press for systemic reform. From overcrowding to healthcare access, we work to hold institutions accountable and push for change.
We collaborate with government bodies, civil society, and international allies to build long-term, scalable solutions. Our goal is to influence structural reform through shared knowledge, training, and coordinated action.
"JPP's advocacy transformed my life and gave me hope for a better future. Their support made all the difference in my journey through the justice system."
Former Juvenile Client
"JPP's advocacy transformed my life and gave me hope for a better future. Their support made all the difference in my journey through the justice system."
Former Juvenile Client
Your support can help us challenge injustice and transform prison systems from within. Every contribution — whether time, resources, or voice — brings us closer to a fairer, more humane future for incarcerated individuals.
