The authorities are in a dilemma as the number of inmates in the country’s jails keeps increasing daily choking the facilities to the maximum, a senior official said yesterday.
“At present, there are 30,000 inmates, remand suspects and convicted people in the country’s 30 jails and the number is mounting daily.
The prison authorities along with the relevant Ministry, the Attorney General’s
Department and police are currently holding discussions on a regular basis to seek a
solution to the crisis at the earliest but at the end of the day it seems to be an uphill task altogether”, Deputy Commissioner of Prisons and Media Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake told the Sunday Observer.
He said the overcrowding in jails is largely due to drug offenders - 20,000 of the entire prison population at present.
“There has to be a serious re-think on the issue and the authorities are currently constructing facilities at Negombo and Wariyapola to house drug dependents and others held for minor offences,” Ekanayake said.