May 30, The Sri Lankan government is considering the introduction of legislation to release prisoners over the age of 60 to ease the congestion in local prisons. Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Minister D.E.W Gunasekara said the plan is to release prisoners over 60 years of age and are serving jail terms for minor offenses. Gunasekara has reportedly said that he has already called for a report on prisoners over 60 years of age from the Prisons Commissioner.
"From the moment I took over the Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Ministry, I have been receiving petitions from family members of those senior citizens serving jail terms for minor offences to get them released. I believe there is no necessity for keeping them in cells. They could be released and ordered to do community work such as road repairs, construction, and public labour. Once I get the Prison Commissioner's report, I intend to ask President Mahinda Rajapaksa to pardon these prisoners," Gunasekara was quoted in local media.
According to the Minister, one of his prime targets is to reduce the number of prisoners by 50 percent. Plans would be drawn to identify the problems faced by the prisoners and to find solutions, the Minister said.
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