The deaths and hospitalisations reported at the Galle Prison have been revealed to be the result of a bacterial infection caused by the Meningococcus bacteria. As per the authorities, the two deceased inmates had died due to this infection, and subsequently, the disease, called meningococcal, had spread. 

It is appreciable that the authorities have taken immediate measures to deal with this situation for the time being. While those who are in need of medical attention have been hospitalised, those who remain in the Prison, unaffected by the disease, have been directed to take precautionary measures such as wearing face masks. Producing inmates for court proceedings physically has been suspended for two weeks, as per the reports. What is more, the Health Ministry has issued instructions to administer the relevant vaccine against the infection to all vulnerable groups, including the inmates of the Galle Prison. According to the Ministry, there is no shortage of the vaccine used to combat the infection, and in that sense, we can believe that we are not in a completely vulnerable situation as far as this bacteria is concerned.

However, we should not be complacent because the country’s prison system, not just the Galle Prison, is in a seriously vulnerable situation because of congestion within prisons, which creates a perfect environment for such infections and countless other diseases to spread. As reported recently, the number of inmates detained in Sri Lankan prisons exceeds their capacity by more than 100%. While the number of inmates that can be detained in the entire prison system is limited to slightly over 13,000, at present, more than 29,000 inmates are detained in prisons. Perhaps, the Galle Prison was lucky enough to not face an epidemic within the Prison as prompt actions were taken to deal with those who contracted the said infection.

Overcrowded prisons are not a new problem to Sri Lanka, and needless to say, with congestion in prisons increasing, challenges in fulfilling inmates’ health and safety related requirements are likely to have worsened further. In such a context, the authorities should consider the infections in the Galle Prison as a warning sign that overcrowding is not just about space, but also about inmates’ lives. The obvious best approach that the authorities can take in this regard is increasing the number of inmates who get released on various grounds before the completion of their jail term. Despite countless proposals and promises concerning releasing more inmates, especially those who are in prisons not because they were sentenced to prison but because they did not have money to pay a nominal fine, the country’s prisoners releasing programmes are limited largely to nationally important days such as the Poya Day or the Independence Day. The authorities should expand the existing parameters that decide who should or should not receive a special pardon, and increase the number of inmates that get released for good behaviour after the completion of an acceptable portion of their jail term, and medical conditions that make inmates physically and/or psychologically unfit to be in prison.

At the same time, other approaches such as rehabilitation aimed at releasing reformed citizens and providing vocational training to release skilled citizens, should receive more attention. Taking even small but concrete measures to expand the existing schemes, and introducing new schemes in the medium term, are a need of the hour and they should as much as be financially feasible and in consonant with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, specifically concerning sanitation and the maintenance of hygiene. This is an investment in the larger economic context, and therefore, the Government should not hesitate to pay attention to such measures.

The necessary review processes as well as legal or regulatory reforms should start forthwith. Maintaining overcrowded prisons is a costly exercise not only in terms of the funds necessary to maintain them, but also due to the risks, such as the one seen in the Galle Prison’s case, which could cause a great deal of damage if it went out of hand.