The press conference provided a rare platform for the minister to discuss openly and publicly the problems facing the Sri Lankan prison system. He admitted that his department faces serous challenges. For example, he stated that prisons are severely overcrowded; a fact that Deputy Minister De Silva reiterated later by saying that even a dead man in a cemetery has more space to himself.
The minister emphasized community-based correction (community service) as one of the solutions to the problem of overcrowding. In the last year, 18 000 sentences were served in the community instead of in jail. He hopes to raise that number to 25 000 in the next year.
The presence of drugs inside prisons was also discussed. Minister Gunasekara quoted in particular that 40% of Sri Lankan prisoners are drug addicts. He also mentioned inadequate sanitation, and the presence of children in prison with their parents as problems his department needs to tackle. The minister continued that he would seek the help of the United Nations to find solutions to these issues.
Over 100 people attended the press conference including members of the media, representatives from foreign organizations, students of Sri Lanka College of Journalism and members of the public.
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| About 105 participants including media personel majority of them are the students of Sri Lanka College of Journalism and the staff of Janasansadaya. |
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Minister D.E.W Gunasekara, Minister of Rehabilitation and prison reforms - Problems in prison - over crowding, drugs, mobile phones, no enough sanitation, 40% of prison population are grug addicts, children are with adults. His ministry wants make a change in peopl's attitudes, Take prison premises out of the towns. Ex welikada is in Colombo, Galle prison is in Galle town. Make community base correction more popular. He said to get help from the United Nations regarding this reforms. |
 On September 8, 2010, Janasansadaya a local human rights group in Sri Lanka, organized a press ...){kind=link}
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