Thursday Nov 28, 2024
Thursday Nov 28, 2024
Tuesday, 23 June 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Prison Department officials came in for scathing criticism from Attorney General Dappula de Livera who said prisons in the country have become breeding grounds for criminals and underworld gangs with the aid and abetment of prison officials.
The AG who visited the Colombo Remand Prison on Friday delivered a strong speech to senior officials of the Department of Prisons after an inspection tour in which he said that unless the chain of bribery and corruption within the prison system is broken, the situation cannot be redeemed.
“I came here to send a strong message to wrong doers, both among officers and prisoners. We must face the reality of the situation in prisons. There is rampant bribery and corruption and prisons have become a playground for criminals and underworld gangs. Major crimes are being hatched from within prison walls. This must be stopped,” de Livera said.
He said the unfortunate reality is that prison officers have become addicted to bribery and corruption while inmates have got addicted to committing crimes from within the prisons and drug dealers and organised criminals have got addicted to operating with impunity from within prisons.
He said the newly appointed Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya has a great responsibility, but he cannot do it alone and needs the cooperation and support of all the employees.
The AG said that the public confidence in the prison system is extremely low and rule of law within prisons has collapsed.
He said his culture of bribery and corruption within the prisons must be broken. “There are officers who are safeguarding criminals and these criminals in turn are safeguarding these officers. “There is an interdependence syndrome that has set in this chain must be broken. The Government has taken some good initial steps but to take this forward, your cooperation is needed. Otherwise all these measures will be stalled. There are good, honest officials. Let us identify them and help them,” he said.
The AG said the responsibility of the Prisons Department is to ensure that sentences are enforced properly. This, he said, includes rehabilitation of prisoners so that when they leave after serving a sentence, they can resume life as good citizens instead of reverting to a life of criminality.
“But this is not happening, and we can see an increase in crimes in the country. If one State institution does not do its work properly, it impacts the entire system. The failure of the prison system affects the law and order situation in the country, it impacts national security,” the AG said.
The AG noted that a congestion in prisons is one of the major problems and it has become difficult to implement the law under these conditions. He said it is important to make the conditions better for prisoners and there is an urgent need for reforms.
He said that maximum use must be made of available resources as well as technology.
The AG noted that the Department needs an intelligence unit to operate within prisons, there must be surveillance as well as a network of informants. “Talk to prisoners. You must have a system to get information from them. The intelligence services have a system of getting information. I did not come to talk of the methods, but you must be able to do that. The suitable people must be appointed to these positions,” he said.
He said that drugs are coming into prisons and the use of mobile phones within the prisons is a major problem. “When the phones are jammed, officers act as messengers. These are things that must be stopped.”
He added that human rights of everyone must be safeguarded within prisons. There must be better conditions for prisoners including toilet facilities, water, food, and education for prisoners.
He said that there must be better staff training and the AG’s Department is willing to assist in this regard.
“There must be whistleblowers, both among prisoners and the officials. There is the need to maintain confidentiality to encourage whistleblowers. This way we can identify the wrong doers and side-line them,” he said.
He said all public officials have a responsibility to the country while they hold office. “When you retire, make sure you can go home with your head held high. Love the people of this country, they are watching and waiting for a day to live in a safe and secure country. Take responsibility and do your job. Do not be afraid to implement the law. Then you will be safeguarded by the law,” de Livera said.
He also advised officials to live within their means. “Live with the salary you get, that is what I do. As you can see all around, ill-gotten wealth does not last and you will have to face the repercussions one day,” he added.
