By The Pulseline News Desk
The Government expects to significantly ease overcrowding in the country’s prisons within the next month to six weeks by speeding up the release of reports from the Government Analyst Department, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has said.
Speaking to the media following a visit to the Anuradhapura Prison, the Minister has said delays in obtaining analytical reports had contributed substantially to the large number of suspects being held in remand custody, particularly in cases involving drugs.
According to Nanayakkara, around 23,000 prisoners connected to drug-related cases are currently in remand custody, with delays in obtaining reports from the Government Analyst Department being a major factor behind the prolonged detention of suspects.
The Minister has said the Government had taken several measures to address the bottleneck, including the recruitment of 70 additional officers to the Government Analyst Department and the procurement of three analytical machines to increase its capacity.
These measures have already helped accelerate the processing of samples, with the Department now issuing between 400 and 500 reports a day, he has said.
The Government expects the increased capacity to translate into faster judicial proceedings and, where appropriate, the release of suspects who have remained in remand custody because their cases could not proceed without the required analytical reports.
The issue of prison overcrowding has become a growing concern, with the continued detention of large numbers of remand prisoners placing additional pressure on prison infrastructure, staff, and resources.
Nanayakkara has said the Government was therefore looking at the problem not only from the perspective of expanding prison capacity but also by addressing administrative and procedural delays that contribute to prolonged remand detention.
Meanwhile, the Minister has said steps were being taken to establish a joint mechanism across all prisons to strengthen the protection of prisoners’ rights and improve prison security.
The mechanism is expected to focus on ensuring the safety of inmates, protecting their lives and property, and safeguarding their rights while they remain in custody.
The Government’s latest measures point to an attempt to tackle prison congestion through faster case processing and improved institutional coordination, rather than relying solely on additional prison infrastructure.
If the Government Analyst Department can sustain its increased output and reports are delivered without the delays experienced previously, authorities expect the pressure on remand facilities to ease within the next one to one-and-a-half months.
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