Sri Lankan prisons overcrowded with non-convicted inmates: Justice Minister

Colombo, June 7 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lankan prisons are severely overcrowded, with the majority of inmates being non-convicted individuals held on suspicion, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara revealed in Parliament yesterday.

According to official documents tabled by Minister Nanayakkara in response to an oral question posed by MP Rohana Bandara, 20,201 out of the 29,353 inmates currently in custody are suspects awaiting trial. This includes 19,160 men and 1,041 women being held on suspicion of various crimes.

The Minister stated that several measures are underway to ease congestion in the prison system. Among them is the re-establishment of the Committee on Pardon, which will carry out evaluations to develop a framework for issuing special pardons through a formal review process. This will supplement the existing procedures for granting general pardons as part of broader efforts to reduce overcrowding.

Further steps are being taken to facilitate the release of remand prisoners under the provisions of the Release of Remand Prisoners Act No. 8 of 1991. In addition, rehabilitation programmes—such as the Ama Divi Ridma initiative—have been introduced to prevent repeat incarcerations and support reintegration into society.

Meanwhile, the government has confirmed plans to relocate two major prison facilities. The Welikada Prison will be moved to Millewa, Horana, while Mahara Prison is set to be relocated to Kotawilawatte.