Minister of Justice and National Integration Minister, Attorney-at-Law Harshana Nanayakkara said that a total of 17,506 forensic reports related to narcotics offences have been issued over the past two months.

Minister Nanayakkara made these remarks while attending an event this morning (01) to establish a joint mechanism at the Kuruwita Prison.

Accordingly, a total of 9,061 reports were issued in August and a further 8,445 in September, the Minister said.

The Minister said measures had been taken to expedite the issuance of forensic reports and amend necessary legislation, including the Community-Based Corrections Act, as part of efforts to reduce prison overcrowding.

He also said that incidents that had occurred in prisons in recent times had not taken place spontaneously, adding that some had resulted from external influences while others had been caused by internal factors.

“Resistance emerges when attempting to change conditions that have prevailed in the country for 30 to 40 years. We must move forward despite such resistance. The misconduct of a very small number of prison officers results in accusations being levelled against the entire service. Humanity should not be compromised in pursuit of short-term personal gains,” the Minister said. 

He said the current government had changed the country’s political culture and stressed the need to create a society comprising empathetic individuals. While noting that the prevailing situation in the country could be changed, he said this would remain difficult as long as people continued to think only of themselves.

“The principle that ‘prisoners are human beings’ should not remain confined to the walls of prisons. Greater attention to the welfare of inmates could help reduce the occurrence of problems.

“When we introduce new systems, we do not allow the remnants of the old, corrupt system to continue. Many people are now unsettled because the law is being enforced,” the Minister Nanayakkara added.