Chandigarh, Oct. 4 -- At a time when most of the Indian prisons are bursting at the seams, Chandigarh stands out for not being overcrowded. The city's jail recorded an occupancy rate of 95.4% in 2023 - below the national average of 120.8% - according to the Prison Statistics India 2023 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Tuesday.

As per the NCRB report, Chandigarh belongs to a very small group of states and UTs where the prison population is under control. In Andhra Pradesh, the occupancy rate is at 89.3%, Tamil Nadu stands at 81.1%, Odisha is at 73.7%, followed by Telangana at 72.8%. Tripura and Nagaland have an occupancy rate of 56.6% and 39.7%, respectively.

In contrast, Delhi's jails were crammed at 200.2%...