By The Pulseline News Desk
The Government has announced a series of prison reforms, including plans to expand prison capacity and introduce house arrest for certain remand prisoners, as investigations continue into the deadly unrest at Negombo Prison that claimed the lives of seven prison officers and 20 inmates.
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday (7), Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said preliminary investigations indicate the violence may have been triggered by a clash between two rival groups linked to the illegal drug trade. He stressed, however, that investigations are ongoing and no final conclusions have been reached.
According to the Minister, the initial confrontation broke out on July 5 between two groups of inmates, leaving two prisoners dead and 35 others injured. Although order was restored that evening, violence erupted again the following morning as inmates were being prepared for court appearances.
Nanayakkara said prison authorities suspect the conflict may have involved inmates who had provided information to prevent the smuggling of drugs and other contraband into the prison, making them targets of organised criminal groups. He also alleged that a small group deliberately destroyed CCTV cameras and a body scanner during the unrest in an apparent attempt to disable prison security systems.
He said unarmed prison officers who intervened came under attack, with seven officers killed while trying to protect their colleagues. The Minister warned that inmates later breached an iron gate and attempted to reach another exit, adding that a prison break could have posed a serious threat to public safety.
Investigations are also underway into how some inmates obtained weapons during the violence.
In response to the incident, Nanayakkara outlined several measures aimed at addressing long-standing issues within the prison system. He said construction work is underway to increase prison capacity by around 10,000 inmates to help ease chronic overcrowding.
The Minister also announced that a committee has been appointed to review the House Arrest Act, with the aim of allowing eligible remand prisoners to be placed under house arrest using electronic monitoring devices instead of being held in prison.
He acknowledged that the Prisons Department is facing severe recruitment challenges despite ongoing hiring efforts, noting that applications for prison officer positions have declined significantly in recent years.
Nanayakkara said reforms to the prison system have already begun but cautioned that meaningful improvements would take time.
Meanwhile, multiple investigations into the Negombo Prison unrest are underway. A Cabinet-appointed committee has been tasked with probing the incident, while the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), and the Prisons Department are conducting separate investigations following directives issued by the Inspector General of Police.
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