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Measures to curb number   of prisoners amidst prison  system at double capacity

11 Nov 2022

  • erminally ill prisoners to be released per expert committee recommendations
  • Visitations to be limited to one day, but visitors increased to three 
BY Safrah Fazal Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms President’s Counsel (PC) Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe noted in Parliament yesterday (10) that at present, prisons are holding 25,000 inmates, whereas the maximum capacity for such is only 13,000, and added that a mechanism is being prepared to pardon and release elderly and terminally ill prisoners as a measure to reduce overcrowding in prisons. He made these remarks in response to a question posed by Samagi Jana Balawegaya Opposition MP Mujibur Rahman concerning the number of days for visitation at prisons being curtailed to one a week from five per week. Rajapakshe said: “Previously, people could visit prisoners on five days. The capacity of inmates that can be held in our prisons is 13,000, but as of today, there are 25,000 in these prisons. What we proposed was to limit the visitations to one day a week instead of five days, as there is an issue with the administration too. A total of three people can visit an inmate on a particular day. Most of the time, those who get daily visitations are the high profile and wealthy inmates. An inmate from an ordinary family sometimes will not even get a visitor once a month. For some, there is nobody to visit them.”  He further stated that the decision to limit visitation days was taken after consultation with an expert committee, doctors and officials at the Ministry of Health.  “This is not a decision that we arrived at alone, but with the consultation of expert committees, on the advice of doctors, and Ministry of Health officials. So, there won’t be any harm to the inmate through this, as three people are able to visit.” The Minister further noted that a mechanism is being prepared to pardon and grant release to prisoners with terminal illnesses and the elderly following an evaluation of their health by an expert committee.  “I personally visited some of these prisons. There are some elderly inmates who are unable even to stand up. There are also those who have terminal illnesses such as cancer. Concerning these inmates, we are giving the authority to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) to appoint an expert committee. After referring these inmates to that committee, they will be granted pardons upon the recommendations of the said committee. The mechanism needed for this is also being prepared.”  


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