Would you believe it if I told you that Tamil Nadu has the highest number of Scheduled Caste (SC) undertrials in the country? Or if I told you that in Tamil Nadu, the proportion of Muslims in jails is more than double their share in the state’s population?

That is precisely what the Union government’s Prison Statistics India 2023 report, recently released, reveals. The Union Government publishes these statistics every year, though with much delay. The 2023 report has laid bare several shocking facts, especially concerning Tamil Nadu.

Look at these facts:

Prisons and Sub-Jails: Rajasthan tops the list with 155 prisons, followed by Tamil Nadu with 142. Tamil Nadu, however, has the highest number of sub-jails in the country (104).

Total detainees: Tamil Nadu tops the nation with 1,354 per

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