New rehab centers for drug offenders in WP, South – State Minister

Justice and Prison Affairs State Minister Anuradha Jayarathne told Parliament yesterday that the government will establish new rehabilitation centers in the Western and Southern Provinces to rehabilitate inmates who are in prisons due to drug-related offences.

The State Minister said that the Health Minister has been informed in this regard and that the overcrowding in prisons can be reduced by establishing separate centers for inmates related to drug-related incidents. The State Minister said this while answering the question raised by MP Imran Maharoof. As of today, the total number of inmates in prisons is 28,468. It was also revealed that the number of drug-related offenders has increased rapidly. As of today, 50.3 percent of the total inmates are people who were imprisoned for drug-related offenses. In some prisons, about 65 percent are detained due to drug-related offenses.

The lack of room in the prisons, however, is the most significant issue the Prison Department is now dealing with. There are about 29,000 prisoners despite the 13,000 capacity of the current facilities and the newly established rehabilitation centers will provide some solution for this.

In response to the dire issue of prison overcrowding, the government is in the process of formulating laws to introduce a house arrest procedure, as well

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