report in ECONOMYNEXT, Dec 13, 2023 at 4:24 pm
Sri Lanka is considering the introduction of legal provisions to retain suspects and accused persons under house arrest instead of remanding them, cabinet spokesman minister Bandula Gunawardena said Tuesday (12).
“The congestion in the prisons has been a long-standing issue in Sri Lanka,” Gunawardena said at a press briefing to announce cabinet decisions.
“Prisoner upkeep costs the government a great deal, paid for by the taxes we collect from the public.”
Gunawardena said a committee chaired by a Supreme Court judge was appointed to furnish appropriate recommendations to introduce legal provisions to keep the suspects/offenders under house arrest like in other countries.
“This is instead of them being imprisoned or remanded, and as a remedy to the issue of overcrowding in prisons.”
The cabinet had approved the proposal by Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to instruct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill based on the committee report, Gunawardena said
https://economynext.com/sri-lanka-considers-house-arrest-due-to-prison-overcrowding-143764/
