The prisons -- most of which were built 100 years ago -- house between 44,000 and 49,000 prisoners, although they are authorized to care for only 30,000 inmates. Existing arrangements for the confinement of suspects before and during trial are often unsatisfactory, since such persons are usually locked up together in large barracks without regard to the nature of past and present offenses. Although prisons may attempt to separate recidivists from first-time offenders, classification on the basis of age and offense is not practiced. The possibility that older prisoners could molest young adults would be reduced if age differences were considered. Improvements in the classification and handling of convicted inmates are also necessary. Recent research has shown that brute force, physical punishment, solitary confinement, or hard labor cannot reform an inmate. A person's life can be changed only if the mind, heart, and spirit are touched. Effective reform calls for individualized treatment that also builds morale, and such reform requires adequate time. The attempt to reform short term prisoners is futile, and short sentences tend to create habitual offenders. Therefore, it is in the public interest to avoid the imposition of short sentences for minor first-Time or petty offenses. Fines or probation should be imposed in these cases as allowed under section 4 of the Pakistan Probation of Offenders Ordinance (1960). Inmate statistics for individual prisons are presented. A reference list or footnotes are not included.