Drastic increase in drug offenders in prisons: COPA reveals

By Ajith Siriwardana  

There has been a drastic increase in drug offenders at present and that nine new centres have been initiated to rehabilitate the drug offenders¸ a Parliamentary Committee revealed.  
The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that met in Parliament Complex recently revealed that some 10,470 inmates out of the total of 17,502 inmates in remand prison are drug offenders while 3,569 out of the total of 9,289 convicted prisoners are drug offenders.  

It was also 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 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.  
It was also revealed that 1,309 inmates were languishing in prisons while being unable to pay fines imposed by courts.