• Authorities discuss possible changes to current system

There are currently no provisions to release elderly inmates from prison even when they have become physically weak and are unable to care for themselves, the Prisons Department stated. 

Acting Prisons Commissioner General Prasad Hemantha Kumara said discussions are underway on whether such provisions could be introduced in the future.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said inmates suffering from medical conditions could seek release through the prison medical committee and may be allowed to return home if the committee recommends it. “Even if an inmate is elderly, we cannot release them. We do not have any provisions as yet for such cases. But if an inmate has some medical condition, they can request the medical committee and, with its recommendation, can go home. But we are discussing it to see what we can do. Maybe in the future, they might be able to be released as well,” he said.

When queried as to whether inmates with good behaviour could receive concessions or be released under the prison system, he said there are established arrangements under which certain inmates could return home and later come back to prison. “There are established methods. If they are not sentenced to death, they can go home and come back,” he said.

Sri Lanka’s prison system has faced congestion for years, with overcrowding also contributing to unrest in prisons.

In Parliament on 8 September, Opposition Parliamentarian Chaminda Wijesiri said a number of prisoners over the age of 70 who are unable to attend to even their basic personal needs are still behind bars. He also said a large number of inmates eligible for release on good behaviour had spent decades in prison. Against this backdrop, the MP called for a proper mechanism to address the situation of physically weak prisoners who require care, saying this was also contributing to prison congestion.

Wijesiri returned to Parliament after being released on bail following an 18-month prison sentence after being found guilty of charges relating to the obstruction and assault of two police officers.