Sri Lanka government has decided to consider the suspects of cases of possessing less than two grams of heroin as drug addicts and to grant them bail, fine or rehabilitate them as a measure to reduce the congestion in prisons.
Minister of Prison Reforms and Prisoners' Rehabilitation Sudarshani Fernandopulle further stated that over 7,000 drug-related convicts and suspects are in Sri Lanka's overcrowded prisons now. In the prisons built for about 12,000 prisoners, over 30,000 have been housed.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cluster in prisons has exceeded 1,000 now. Prisoners under stress try to escape or agitate seeking release.
