Monday, 4 August 2003  
The widest coverage in Sri Lanka.
Editorial
News

Business

Features

Security

Politics

World

Letters

Sports

Obituaries

Archives

Mihintalava - The Birthplace of Sri Lankan Buddhist Civilization

Government - Gazette

Silumina  on-line Edition

Sunday Observer

Budusarana On-line Edition





Please forward your comments to the Editor, Daily News.
Email : [email protected]
Snail mail : Daily News, 35, D.R. Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Telephone : 94 1 429429 / 421181
Fax : 94 1 429210

Reforming the prison system

Our prisons have been the subject of numerous news items in the media during the past few weeks, partly as a result of some startling disclosures made by top prison officials. These stories paint a very bleak picture of the present state of prisons in this country and do not leave any doubt that immediate steps must be taken to revamp the entire prison system.

It is in this context that we welcome new Commissioner General of Prisons Rumy Marzook's bold initiatives for prison reforms. He has not hesitated to tell the truth even though it might hurt certain quarters. He has been very frank about the inner workings of the prisons system and outlined a number of plans to reform it.

With more people in prisons than ever before, overcrowding has become a major problem facing the Prison Department. The large number of offenders who are jailed because they are unable to pay a fine has compounded this crisis. It has also been revealed that as much as 40 per cent of prisoners are drug offenders.

Most countries have done away with the mandatory imposition of jail terms in lieu of fines and introduced community service programmes whereby the offender has to complete a certain number of hours for a community project. This takes a massive strain away from the prisons while reforming the individual concerned. He learns to save others instead of harming them. Serious thought should be given to the implementation of such a system in our country.

Another solution is the expansion of prisons. There have been plans to relocate the Bogambara and Welikada prisons, which are located in major cities, to less populated areas. These plans could be revived even at this stage to accommodate the growing number of prisoners. Newspapers reported yesterday that the Prisons Department was planning to convert the Boosa Remand Prison (BRP) to a rehabilitation center for drug offenders. This is also a step in the right direction, considering the large number of youths jailed for drug abuse and peddling.

We can also draw an example from the successful operation of partially or fully private prisons in some countries. Eliminating corruption within the prisons system is another vital need. It has been reported that some criminals are using high-tech mobile phones to direct crime from within their cells. Drugs are also reported to be conveyed to inmates. This obviously raises the question as to how they are smuggled in when every visitor to any prison is thoroughly checked. The connivance of prison officials is clearly indicated in such instances. This is an enormous challenge that the Commissioner must face without delay.

However, all these steps would be meaningless if government authorities and the society itself do not take steps to reduce crime and drug abuse in the first place. The police must take all possible steps to nab hardcore criminal gangs that terrorise ordinary people. The civil society and religious institutions have a vital role to play in moulding citizens who respect moral values.

A few years ago, a suggestion was brought forward to rename the Prisons Department as the Department of Corrections. This is an apt suggestion, as our prisons have earned a reputation as places where criminals simply serve time and then come out, only to go back to their old ways.

Prisons must truly be turned into centres where even the most hardened criminal comes out as a citizen who can make a useful contribution to our society.

Call all Sri Lanka

Premier Pacific International (Pvt) Ltd - Luxury Apartments

www.singersl.com

www.crescat.com

www.srilankaapartments.com

www.eagle.com.lk

www.peaceinsrilanka.org

www.helpheroes.lk


News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries


Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager


Hosted by Lanka Com Services