135,000 Sri Lankans jailed annually

Sri Lanka Minister of Prisons and Rehabilitation D.E.W. Gunasekara says that according to Prisons Department statistics, 135,000 persons are jailed annually. Most of them are remand prisoners.



The prisons of Sri Lanka have facilities for 11,000 inmates but they have to accommodate more than 25,000 to 30,000 persons daily, the Minister said.
Addressing a press conference held at the Ministry, the Minister pointed out that this has caused congestion in prisons.
The Minister further pointed out that 50% of the prisoners frequent them and 65% of the prison inmates are single men.
Radical reforms with immediate effect will be implemented in the Prisons Department as it does not meet the present day requirements, the Minister added.