All prisons to be monitored by CCTV

• Rs.10mn allocated for immediate expansion of sanitation facilities in prisons

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya  

CCTV cameras would be set up in prisons across the country to monitor and for surveillance on inmates who were prone to crimes inside the prisons, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Law Reforms Nimal Siripala de Silva said. 

The Minister, who was on an inspection visit at the Welikada Prisons on Tuesday, said that most of the inmates in prison are over offences connected to narcotics.  
He said that many suspects taken in narcotics related cases had to wait long in remand prison for the Government Analyst (GA’s) reports so that their cases could be heard in the Court. He said that the number of narcotics-related cases had increased by 150% last year.  

“One of the reasons for the delay in the cases was due to the delay in GA’s reports. Ministry officials and I have had a long discussion with the Department of Government Analyst to expedite the process,” he said.   He said if the GA’s Reports were delayed they would have to take other alternatives to get the analyst’s reports.  

“We will have discussions on the availability of these analytical reports, especially in the case of heroin cases, from the laboratories in the universities, so that the congestion in prisons can be greatly reduced,” he said. 

The minister also said that there should be a change in the prison administration.   
“The prison staff and the Commissioners are working with difficulties. We don’t have enough staff and we need to immediately recruit guards and jailers. We could expect better service from them by recruiting them quickly and provide them with the facilities,” the Minister said.   Minister Silva said that Rs.10 million had been allocated for the immediate expansion of sanitation facilities in prisons.