The state has one of the most severely-stretched prison systems in the country, with overcrowding seen across its central jails. (File Photo) The Prison Statistics of India, 2024, shows that the budget sanctioned for Maharashtra’s prisons declined by 10 per cent, even as its share of expenses on inmates remained lower than the national average and staff vacancies were at nearly 40 per cent. The state has one of the most severely-stretched prison systems in the country, with overcrowding seen across its central jails. The report part for the year 2024 by the National Crime Record Bureau of the Ministry of Home Affairs, was published recently. It said that Maharashtra was among the seven states that saw a budget cut in 2024 from Rs 822.6 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 739.9 crore in 2024-25. Even though Maharashtra ranks among the highest when it comes to prison funding allocation, its share of expenses on inmates remains low.…