Govt plans prison expansion, house arrest reforms after Negombo unrest

Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara says that construction is underway to increase the space in Sri Lankan prisons. Addressing the Parliament today (07), the Justice Minister said that steps are being taken to increase existing space to around 10,000 to address prison overcrowding. He further said that a committee has been appointed to look into the House Arrest Act, to enable remand prisoners to be kept under house arrest with electronic monitoring equipment, instead of being sent to prison. “Recruitment is also underway for the Prisons Department. But this state service is no longer attractive. People from good schools are not applying to the prisons anymore, as it’s not attractive. Job requests have decreased drastically,” he said. Stating that the government has taken measures to address issues related to prisons, Minister Nanayakkara said that it will take time for the outcome. His remarks come after the recent unrest at the Negombo prison. Briefing the Parliament today (07), Minister Nanayakkara said seven prison officers and 19 inmates have been reported dead in the clashes, while 23 officers and 54 inmates were injured and are hospitalized. He further said that multiple investigations are underway into the deadly Negombo Prison unrest. The Justice Minister said that the Cabinet has appointed a committee to conduct investigations into the incident, while the Prisons Department has filed a complaint with the Police and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is conducting a probe. A separate investigation is also being conducted by the Prisons Department, he said. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Police has also announced that investigations into the incident at Negombo Prison have been entrusted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD). The Police said that the investigations have been handed over following directives issued by the Inspector General of Police (IGP). (Newswire)