The ‘Mandela Shield’ between Prisoners and Law students

Prisoners are often stigmatized and labelled as being criminals, immoral and even unintelligent. In 2015, the debate team from the Eastern New York Correctional Facility consisting of prisoners, defeated the team from Harvard University in a debate on whether public schools should be allowed to deny enrollment to undocumented students.   

Motivated by the response and result of such debates which provide prisoners with a chance to express their views, the Kandy Human Rights Office under the guidance of Director Fr. Nandana Manathunga, has organized a debate tournament between the Pallekelle Bogambara Prison and the Peradeniya Law Faculty. It will be held today at the prison premises and will be a milestone in the campaign for prisoners’ rights.   

Titled ‘The Mandela Shield’, in honour of the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned for 27 years, the tournament is set to crush stereotypes attached to prisoners and to create a conducive environment where they can live with dignity and integrity and where they are appreciated and recognized. The debate team of the Peradeniya Law Faculty will propose that the criminal justice system (including the role of the Police force, courts and prisons) of the country plays a satisfactory and effective role. The team from the Bogambara prison will oppose this motion.   

Although prisoners are despised by the majority, they too are human beings who deserve respect. Activists the world over have campaigned for the rights of minorities, but sadly the plight of prisoners goes unaddressed and they are a forgotten minority. There have been allegations of mistreatment and torture of prisoners and drawbacks in the justice system in dealing with their issues.

Rehabilitated prisoners are stigmatized, so much so that they find it difficult to reintegrate into society. Sri Lankan culture also fails to empathize with prisoners and to understand the untold stories behind their crimes.   

There are more than 17,000 inmates in the 38 prisons found across the country and 1200 of these are imprisoned in the Bogambara prison. The tournament, in an attempt to address the success and failure of the criminal justice system, aims to also bring about a discussion of issues such as prison overcrowding, which could be prevented if the authorities trust prisoners and impose 
effective sanctions.