January 15, 2026
Note: This campaign was sponsored by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives
As Voicepk’s campaign for prison reforms draws to a close, it is time to take stock of the systemic failures we exposed through our reporting — and of the urgent work that remains undone.
There is little cause for satisfaction. Across Pakistan, prisons remain overcrowded, under-resourced and governed by an obsolete colonial framework that prioritises punishment over justice or rehabilitation. The consequences extend far beyond prison walls, affecting not only those incarcerated but also their families, who bear the social, financial and emotional costs of prolonged detention.
Public sentiment towards prisoners remains unforgiving. Whether undertrial or convicted, detainees are often viewed as irredeemable criminals who deserve whatever treatment comes their way. Torture, neglect and humiliation are routinely dismissed as justified “comeuppance”. This attitude has normalised abuse and indifference within the criminal justice system.
Yet the reality inside prisons tells a very different story. A significant proportion of those behind bars are undertrial prisoners whose guilt has never been established. Thousands remain incarcerated for years awaiting the conclusion of investigations or trials delayed by an overburdened judicial system. In Punjab alone, prisons operate far beyond capacity, housing nearly twice the number of inmates they were designed for. Facilities such as Lahore’s district jail, have become symbols of this crisis, with inmates crammed into spaces meant for a fraction of their number.
Voicepk’s reporting has repeatedly highlighted how the constitutional principle of “innocent until proven guilty” is routinely reversed in practice. Arrest often marks the beginning of presumed guilt. Confessions extracted under coercion, weak investigations, and reliance on circumstantial or fabricated evidence continue to result in wrongful prosecutions and convictions. This presumption of guilt shapes interrogations, trials and sentencing, embedding injustice at every stage.
Even among convicted prisoners, injustice persists. Our coverage has documented how women — particularly from marginalised backgrounds — are frequently imprisoned after being framed by families or in-laws, often in disputes involving property, honour or inheritance. Many lack legal representation, are unaware of their rights, or are abandoned entirely once behind bars. Pregnant women, mothers with infants, and women suffering from mental illness remain especially vulnerable within a system ill-equipped to address their needs.
We have previously also reported on denial of medical care, the criminalisation of juveniles, and have exposed the use of torture behind bars. These are not isolated failures; they are symptoms of an obsolete, colonial system designed to detain, not to deliver justice.
Our campaign was never about sympathy for crime. However it was about insisting on the rule of law, due process, and human dignity. Prison reform is not a concession to criminals; it is a measure of a society’s commitment to justice.
Until that commitment is reflected in law, policy and practice, Pakistan’s prisons will remain warehouses of injustice — and our collective failure will continue.