50.3 percent of total inmates, imprisoned for drug related offences – State Minister

State Minister of Justice and Prison Affairs Anuradha Jayaratne during a press conference themed ‘Collective Path to a Stable Country’ held at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) on Thursday (10) said that 50.3 percent of the 28,468 inmates in prisons were imprisoned for drug related offences and the figure was nearly 65 percent in some prisons.

The state minister also revealed that the cost of food alone for the inmates is Rs 3.9 billlion and that prisoners cultivate 418 acres of land to reduce the burden on the treasury and that it was envisaged to increase the extent by another 200 acres.

He also said that discussions  have already commenced on setting up a legal system for maintaining prisons in a way that they do not burden the treasury and that four private sector companies were willing to establish factories within the prison complex itself and employ the inmates.