The Government has been requested to make arrangements to provide compensation to inmates who died during the violent disturbance at the Negombo Prison last month, according to the Prisons Department.

The request comes in the aftermath of the disturbance, in which 31 people, including 10 prison officers and 21 inmates, were killed and several others injured.“We have requested the Government to provide compensation to the inmates who died as well. We have already submitted the relevant request to the Government, and the necessary arrangements will be made in the future,” Prisons Commissioner and Spokesperson Senaka Pallethenna said.The Negombo Prison incident caused extensive damage to the Prison and brought attention to long-standing problems in the prison system, including overcrowding, shortages of prison officers and security lapses.

Further incidents were subsequently reported at Mahara Prison, the New Magazine Prison in Colombo, Kuruwita Prison and Pallansena Open Prison.Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection focused on obtaining the views and proposals of the Police Department on measures that could be taken to reduce overcrowding in prisons.At a recent meeting of the Committee held at Parliament under the chairpersonship of Dr Najith Indika, discussions focused particularly on the Police Department’s procedures from the arrest of suspects in connection with drug-related offences through to the filing of cases, as well as on removing existing legal obstacles affecting these processes.The Committee also discussed delays in proceedings relating to drug-related cases and delays in obtaining reports from the Government Analyst, which have contributed to an increase in the number of suspects being held in remand custody.It was emphasized that, in combating drug-related offences, it is necessary not only to arrest individuals but also to use modern technology to identify and disrupt drug-trafficking networks and the illegal financial transactions associated with them.

The need to introduce appropriate regulatory mechanisms to prevent the misuse of digital money-transfer systems operated by telecommunications companies by drug traffickers for illegal financial transactions was also highlighted.

The meeting also discussed the need to strengthen community-based rehabilitation programmes as an alternative to imprisoning persons addicted to drugs, increase public participation in crime prevention, and amend existing laws to bring them in line with current requirements.

Views were also expressed on the need to establish a modern forensic laboratory within the Department to expedite criminal investigations. It was pointed out that speeding up the analysis of scientific evidence could accelerate court proceedings and thereby help reduce prison overcrowding.In addition, attention was given to improving the welfare of Police officers, enhancing their professional training and investigative skills, and strengthening mechanisms for evaluating Police performance.