Sirisena says 60 percent of US prisoners return as repeat offenders; one reason being better conditions

By Saman Indrajith

Former President and Polonnaruwa District MP Maithripala Sirisena told Parliament, on Thursday, that the prisons sector should be revamped in its entirety to ensure that inmates could spend their time meaningfully.

 Participating in the third reading debate on Budget 2021 under the expenditure heads of the ministries of Defence and Public Security, MP Sirisena said that the prison system and its conditions had deteriorated during the past 40 to 50 years. “The system should be revamped with the help of the Ministries of Justice, Public Security, Defence and Health. The Prisons Department should be strengthened and prison services should be given facilities. Our prisons are no better than the English prisons during the Victorian Period. In many Western countries the prisons today have been upgraded with all facilities and better living conditions for their inmates are provided. The US has around 60 percent of prisoners returning as repeat offenders. One of the reasons for them to come back to prisons could be the better living standard there. A certain amount of dollars too are provided to them as a daily payment for their time spent in prisons. In Sri Lanka too it was there. An amount of rupees was paid to the prisoners and I do not know whether it is still being paid.”

Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said that he was in the prison but he did not receive such a payment.

MP Sirisena: He has not been paid. Then that system must have been stopped here.