14 June 2023 01:45 pm Views - 696
A Parliamentary Committee has revealed that the congestion in prisons has increased up to 259 percent, where 26,791 inmates are occupying the prisons at present whereas all the prisons in the country could accommodate only 11,762 inmates.
It was revealed at the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) which met at the Parliament Complex recently that in some prisons, the congestion has gone up to 300 to 400 percent.
Justice Ministry Secretary Wasantha Perera said 26,791 inmates were occupying the prisons even though all the prisons can accommodate only 11,762 inmates.
Prisons Commissioner Thushara Upuldeniya said 17,502 inmates are remand prisoners while 9,289 are convicted prisoners.
It was also revealed that 1,309 inmates were languishing in prisons while being unable to pay fines imposed by courts.(Ajith Siriwardana)