70% of prison population linked to drug addiction, overcrowding concerns raised

Colombo, July 2 (Daily Mirror) - Around 70 per cent of the prison population comprises individuals addicted to narcotic substances, highlighting a major challenge facing the country’s correctional system, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Attention was therefore drawn to the urgent need for measures focused on rehabilitation as well as steps to ease prison overcrowding.

The PMD said the  issue was discussed in the context of ongoing national efforts to address the growing impact of drug abuse, with emphasis placed on strengthening rehabilitation programmes for affected individuals.

Authorities said that improving treatment and recovery pathways for drug-dependent inmates is essential to reducing pressure on prisons while supporting their reintegration into society.

The findings have reinforced calls for a more coordinated national approach that combines enforcement with rehabilitation-focused strategies to address the root causes of incarceration linked to narcotic addiction.