The number of inmates that can be held in prisons located islandwide, has exceeded by more than 100% at present, according to the Department of Prisons.  

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Prisons Commissioner and the Prisons Department Media Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake said that there is a rapid growth in the number of inmates incarcerated for various charges in every prison in the country since January 2023, thereby increasing the congestion in prisons.

He said that the number of inmates that can be held in prisons island-wide is 13,241, but that nearly 29,000 inmates including about 19,000 suspects and 10,000 prisoners are currently being held in them. "According to the Department's statistics, the total capacity of prisons has exceeded more than 100%."

On an earlier occasion, Ekanayake said that the Prisons Department was planning to implement a prison reform programme under a five-year plan. Under the programme, he said that priority would be given to reduce prison congestion through short, medium and long term solutions, including the house arrest system. The Department had also proposed to the Ministry of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to formulate a programme to place individuals who are remanded in custody for minor offences under house arrest instead of incarceration.