Arthur Road Jail

Arthur Road Jail
Location Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Coordinates Coordinates: 18°59′6.7″N 72°49′47.14″E / 18.985194°N 72.8297611°E / 18.985194; 72.8297611
Status Open
Security class Maximum
Capacity 1074
Opened 1926 (1926)

The Mumbai Central Prison, also referred to as Arthur Road Jail, was built in 1926,[1] and is Mumbai's largest and oldest prison. It houses most of the city's prisoners. It was upgraded in 1994 to become a Central Prison and given its current official name, but it is still popularly referred to as Arthur Road Jail. The jail occupies 2 acres (0.81 ha) of land.[1]

Location

The jail is located near Jacob Circle/Sat Rasta, between the Mahalaxmi and Chinchpokli railway stations in the southern part of the city. It is now surrounded by residential property renting for Rs 12-25,000/sq foot, while commercial property is leased for Rs 30-60,000/sq foot.[1] A monorail is being built nearby.

Conditions

Space is at a premium inside. The jail was originally built to accommodate 800 prisoners but the average number of inmates is 2000[1]—far exceeding its capacity in terms of space, sanitation and other facilities.

The prison features in Gregory David Roberts' award-winning book Shantaram, which details his life on the run and his time spent in Mumbai, including a stint in Arthur Road. Several scenes in Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers take place in the facility.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mustafa Plumber & Manish K Pathak (19 April 2011). "Time to free Mumbai of its overcrowded prison?". DNA India. Retrieved 25 November 2012.


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