Vocational training for prisoners

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Ministry will encourage prisoners to contribute to the country's economic progress, Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera said yesterday.

The minister was addressing the media at the Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Ministry. The ministry has been conducting several vocational training programmes for prisoners to get the prisoners' contribution for the economic development process.

These vocational training programmes will pave the way for prisoners to start self-employment or they can join any institution as skilled employees after being released from prisons, Gajadeera said.

It has been revealed that most prisoners will face severe financial hardships as they are unskilled labourers who have not undergone vocational training. Moreover, most prisoners are not used to any mode of self-employment ventures. Therefore, the ministry will conduct several vocational training and self-employment programmes which have a demand in the job market. Under this, prisoners will undergo vocational training such as plumbing, masonry, carpentry and farming, the minister said.

Of the prisoners, 60 percent are convicted prisoners while the balance 40 percent are remand prisoners. Around 10 percent have never attended school while 60 per cent have not reached even grade eight. Around 70 percent are between the age limit of 20 and 40.

Rehabilitation programmes are being successfully conducted for drug addicts and drug smugglers in prison. The percentage of drug related offenders is 40 percent, Gajadeera said.

The minister said that a full scale investigation is also being conducted regarding recent issues such as bringing alcohol into a prison.

Senior Minister D E W Gunasekara said the ministry has put into practice many activities considering 'prisoners are human beings too'.

Gunasekara said no major reforms have been carried out so far even though the Prisons Department was established in 1844 making it among the oldest departments in Sri Lanka.

In the past, revenge and punishment was the main objective of establishing a prison.

Unlike the past, the prisons have to be converted into rehabilitation centres since prisoners are in prison for punishment but not to undergo punishments, he said.