List of prisons in Afghanistan explained

There are between 24 and 77 prisons in Afghanistan.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} As of 2023, the total number of prisoners in the country is approximately 14,000 of which up to 1,100 are females.^{[5] [6]} The following is an incomplete list of prisons in Afghanistan:

Prisons in Afghanistan
Prison	Status	Classification	Managed	Opened	Capacity	Location
	Operational	Maximum		2009	?	Bagram
	Operational	Minimum		1970s	5,000	Kabul
Herat Prison^[7]	Operational	Minimum^[8]	Ministry of Interior	?	2,000	Herat
Kandahar Prison^[9]	Operational	Minimum	Ministry of Interior	?	1,900^[10]	Kandahar
Nangarhar Prison^[11]	Operational	Minimum	Ministry of Interior	?	1,700^[12]	Jalalabad
Balkh Prison^[13]	Operational	Minimum	Ministry of Interior	?	?	Mazar-i-Sharif^[14]
Ghazni Prison^[15]	Operational	Minimum	Ministry of Interior	?	500^[16]	Ghazni
Khost Prison^[17]	Operational	Minimum	Ministry of Interior	?	500	Khost
	Operational	Minimum	Ministry of Interior	?	Over 500^[18]	Kunduz
Helmand Prison^[19] ^[20]	Operational	Minimum	Ministry of Interior	?	?	Lashkar Gah
	Closed	?	United States	?	?	?
	Closed	?	United States	?	?	?
Total capacity					20,000	(current)

See also

• Black jail
• Capital punishment in Afghanistan
• Do Ab prison
• List of countries by incarceration rate
• Mazari Sharif prison
• Qala-i-Jangi
• Rish Khor prison
• Sheberghan Prison

External links

• (South China Morning Post, 8 Feb. 2022)
• (South China Morning Post, 29 Sep. 2021)

Notes and References

1. News: Pajhwok obtains list of 5,000 Taliban prisoners . Pajhwok Afghan News . 28 March 2020 . 2023-02-12.
2. News: UN Finds Progress in Torture Eradication in Afghan Prisons . TOLOnews . 17 April 2019 . 2019-04-17.
3. News: UN: Some Progress in Afghanistan Torture Eradication, But Much Left To Do . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . 17 April 2019. 2019-04-17.
4. News: More Than 300 Afghan Children, Many Older Than 5, Home Is Mother's Cellblock . The New York Times . 23 December 2017 . 2019-04-17.
5. News: More Than 1000 Women Imprisoned in Afghanistan: Prison Authority . TOLOnews . 12 February 2023 . 2023-02-12.
6. News: Officials: Over 12,000 Imprisoned Across Country . TOLOnews . 7 February 2023 . 2023-02-12.
7. News: 55 prisoners released from Herat prison . 3 December 2016 . Karimi . Storai . Pajhwok Afghan News.
8. Web site: Behind Bars. 16 February 2011.
9. News: Kandahar Central Jail should move out of city: Residents. 30 December 2018 . Naadem . Bashir Ahmad . Pajhwok Afghan News.
10. News: 60 prisoners released from Kandahar jail . Pajhwok Afghan News . 6 March 2017 . 2019-04-17.
11. News: 131prisoners released from Nangarhar jail . 6 June 2018 . Zarifi . Yousuf . Pajhwok Afghan News.
12. News: 34 prisoners set free from Nangarhar prison . 10 August 2017 . Zarifi . Yousuf . Pajhwok Afghan News.
13. News: Prisoners flee Balkh jail after gunbattle with security guards . 27 December 2017 . Ihsas . ‌Zabihullah . Pajhwok Afghan News.
14. Web site: ICRC Audiovisual Archives . International Committee of the Red Cross . 1 December 2015.
15. News: Afghan Taliban storm Ghazni prison, freeing hundreds . BBC News . 14 September 2015.
16. News: Taliban frees hundreds in deadly Afghan prison raid . CBS News . 14 September 2015.
17. News: Khost prison security beefed up after Kunduz jailbreak . 8 October 2015 . Haroon. Mohammad . Pajhwok Afghan News.
18. News: Taliban attack Afghan city of Kunduz, free inmates . CNN. 28 September 2015.
19. Web site: ICRC Audiovisual Archives . International Committee of the Red Cross . 24 November 2015.
20. Web site: Exclusive: Fearing more jailbreaks, Afghanistan rushed inmates out of Helmand . 27 October 2015 . Reuters.