A Cabinet paper presented by the Ministry of Justice proposed the re-establishment of the four-year pardon, which, if approved, will reduce the sentences of prisoners on death row to 20 years, while allowing the release of those who have served over 20 years of their sentence.
State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte revealed this last week at the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice, where he added that the Ministry is also looking to settle minor bail amounts for convicts that cannot afford the fee and remain in prison as a result.
These measures are part of the Government’s strategy to reduce congestion in prisons by releasing around 8,000 inmates, he stated. Sri Lanka’s 28 prisons house close to 29,000 inmates, and such overcrowding poses a greater threat in the face of Covid-19, he explained, and thus, the President had issued a directive to release those who could be granted pardons.
State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte revealed this last week at the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice, where he added that the Ministry is also looking to settle minor bail amounts for convicts that cannot afford the fee and remain in prison as a result.
These measures are part of the Government’s strategy to reduce congestion in prisons by releasing around 8,000 inmates, he stated. Sri Lanka’s 28 prisons house close to 29,000 inmates, and such overcrowding poses a greater threat in the face of Covid-19, he explained, and thus, the President had issued a directive to release those who could be granted pardons.