Open prisons, work camps considered to ease overcrowding
A Parliamentary committee is considering open prisons and work camps as measures to address prison overcrowding, alongside legal and administrative reforms aimed at reducing the number of inmates, Parliament sources said. The proposals were discussed when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection met at Parliament recently under the chairmanship of NPP […]
Parliament's Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection is exploring unconventional measures such as open prisons and work camps to tackle prison overcrowding, according to sources. The committee recently deliberated on these proposals during a meeting chaired by NPP MP Dr. Najith Indika. The discussions centered around various strategies to alleviate the issue, including amendments to the Prisons Ordinance, the creation of open prisons and work camps, and the release of inmates under specific conditions.
Additionally, there was a focus on directing prisoners with good behavior towards employment programs. The committee also touched upon strengthening the process of referring individuals struggling with drug addiction to rehabilitation centers rather than incarceration. Furthermore, the backlog of reports at the Government Analyst’s Department was reviewed, with suggestions like increasing staff capacity, enhancing transport facilities, and extending overtime services being considered to expedite the processing of reports.
The committee emphasized the necessity for legal and administrative reforms, as well as cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and National Integration and the Department of Prisons to effectively implement the proposed measures.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.