Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-02-14

Identification of Judicial and Legal Causes for minimizing the overcrowding in Prisons and Prison Reform

- The first Report of the Inter Institutional Task Force appointed to make proposals for the identification of the Judicial and Legal Causes for minimizing the overcrowding in Prisons and Prison Reform, has submitted the following recommendations:-

* The effective use of the Community Based Correction orders as an alternation of imprisonment.

* Implementation of the provisions of the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act, No.4 of 1995 to it's full potential, which provides an opportunity for payment of the relevant fine in instalments as an alternative to imprisonment when in default of a fine.

* Implementation of a Management Information System to prevent the misplacement of case files pertaining to cases where the Magistrate has no jurisdiction but continue to call them until such time that the case is referred to the Attorney General for indictment in the High Court.

* Action to be taken to release persons imprisoned without an indictment on a bond and the supervision of the prison through the visits by the Magistrates, once a month, in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

* Adoption of the police bail system in the case of bailable offences, in accordance with the provisions of the Bail Act, No.30 of 1997.

* Consideration of the possibility of commuting the death sentence into a life sentence.

* Construction of new prison buildings and relocation.

* Creation of a safe and secure environment for the inmates and the Prison staff.

The joint proposal made by Hon. (Dr.) Wijayadasa Rajapaksa, the Minister of Justice; and Hon. D.M. Swaminathan, the Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs, to present the above Report to the Parliament, was approved by the Cabinet.