Four new Appeal Courts are to be established soon to expedite the hearing of appeals made against the imprisonment of prisoners, State Ministry of Prison Management and Rehabilitation said.

During a meeting with Minister of Justice Ali Sabry and State Minister of Prison and Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte, it was revealed that the decision was taken as the prison capacity had increased from the prisoners who were appealing against their imprisonment.

Also, it was discussed to mitigate the sentence of prisoners sentenced to death and life imprisonment after 1998, except for large scale drug traffickers.

Accordingly, the death sentence of the prisoners except for large scale drug traffickers who have been sentenced after 1998 would be commuted to life imprisonment under a special Presidential pardon.

In addition, those who are imprisoned for minor offences would be rehabilitated instead of imprisoning them, in order to reduce congestion in prisons.

It was revealed that the existing prison system should be updated to reduce prison congestion and prisoners to be directed to undergo a proper rehabilitation system.

Arrangements were made to expedite the construction of the proposed prison system with modern facilities in Horana by relocating the Colombo Prison premises.(Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya)