Sri Lanka's Justice Minister has outlined a series of measures to address prison conditions and reduce inmate dissatisfaction, while cautioning prisoners against being influenced by those seeking to incite disturbances.
Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has issued a statement responding to reported incidents of unrest across multiple correctional facilities. The minister acknowledged legitimate grievances among inmates, particularly regarding delays in bail processing caused by backlogs in forensic report submission, while urging prisoners to resist manipulation by individuals with hidden agendas.
To address the backlog in forensic analysis, the government plans to recruit approximately 70 new staff members to the Government Analyst's Department and introduce updated equipment within the current month. These measures are intended to substantially increase the department's monthly output capacity to between 7,500 and 9,000 reports, compared with existing levels. The minister also announced that proposed amendments to bail provisions will be submitted to the Cabinet, which would allow individuals accused of drug offences involving quantities exceeding 10 grams to apply for bail from the High Court rather than the Court of Appeal, a change expected to expedite bail hearings.
The minister attributed prison overcrowding to insufficient infrastructure and committed to implementing measures to ease congestion, enhance facilities, and address delays affecting remand prisoners. However, the minister also issued a stern warning to inmates, stating that violent conduct and destruction of prison property would ultimately harm the prisoners themselves and cautioning them against being swayed by a minority pursuing personal interests. The minister called on inmates to support government efforts to improve conditions rather than participate in disruptive activities.
