Colombo, June 7 – Sri Lanka’s prison system is bursting at the seams and shockingly, most of those behind bars haven’t even been convicted.
Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara dropped this startling revelation in Parliament yesterday, stating that out of 29,353 inmates currently in custody, a staggering 20,201 are suspects awaiting trial. That figure includes 19,160 men and 1,041 women held solely on suspicion of various offences.
The data, tabled in response to a question from MP Rohana Bandara, paints a grim picture of Sri Lanka’s criminal justice backlog and mounting pressure on correctional facilities.
In response, the Minister outlined a multi-pronged plan to tackle the crisis. A key measure involves re-establishing the Committee on Pardon, which will conduct evaluations and implement a structured review process for granting special presidential pardons. This would supplement the traditional system of general pardons and serve as a key mechanism to ease congestion.
Further, the Release of Remand Prisoners Act No. 8 of 1991 will be leveraged more effectively to expedite the release of detainees held under remand. The Ministry is also ramping up rehabilitation programmes such as the Ama Divi Ridma initiative, aimed at breaking the cycle of reoffending and helping inmates reintegrate into society.
In a longer-term structural shift, the government has greenlit plans to relocate two of the country’s most overcrowded prisons. The Welikada Prison will be transferred to Millewa, Horana, while Mahara Prison will move to Kotawilawatte, in an effort to reduce urban pressure and modernize correctional infrastructure.
The revelations have renewed scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s legal and judicial processes, with growing calls for bail reforms, faster case handling, and better alternatives to incarceration for low-risk individuals.
As the numbers show, the problem is no longer about hardened criminals it’s about a broken system detaining thousands who haven’t been found guilty of any crime.
