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Phenomenal increase of drug offence convicts

by Anura Maitipe

There has been a phenomenal increase of persons convicted for drug related offences. In 1985 the percentage of convicts for drug related crimes was only 5 percent but now it has grown to 44 percent. Now, even the prison has become another market place for drug dealers. Some officials are also involved in this vicious deeds. Two such officials have been arrested by prison authorities while attempting to smuggle drugs into the prison, prison authorities told the Interior Minister John Amaratunga when he visited the Welikada Prison last week.

Minister Amaratunga said "it is the duty of the police to crack down on these crimes and once it is done it would automatically minimise the number of convicts in prison. On the other hand, media programs should be launched to make them aware of long term consequences of drugs and other narcotics.

The prison was overcrowded due to the flow of about 75000 convicts annually for various crimes and the government spends Rs. 1200 million for maintenance of the prison.

The Minister urged the prison officials to expedite the construction work of new prisons at Polonnaruwa, Homagama, Wariyapola and to increase the number of rehabilitation centres in order to reduce the number of inmates in the Welikada and Colombo prisons.

He also issued directives to the Commissioner General of Prisons to prepare a list of prisoners and the nature of crimes that they have committed in order to explore the possibility of granting amnesty for minor offences as an alternate measure to reduce the number of inmates in prisons.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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