The Government has formally moved to bring the historic Bogambara Prison back into operation, marking one of the first major policy responses to the deadly violence at Negombo Prison and an acknowledgement that Sri Lanka’s correctional system has reached a point where existing facilities can no longer cope with the number of inmates being held.
ustice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has, by Gazette notification issued under the Prisons Ordinance, redesignated the former Bogambara Prison premises as a prison.
The site, which in recent years had largely been promoted as a heritage and tourism attraction following its closure as a correctional institution, will once again legally function as part of Sri Lanka’s prison network.
The decision comes only days after the country’s deadliest prison disturbance in years left 26 people dead, including seven prison officers, and exposed the enormous pressures confronting the prison system.
Negombo Prison, designed to accommodate around 650 inmates, was reportedly holding close to 2,400 prisoners when violence erupted, illustrating the extent of overcrowding now confronting prison administrators across the country.
Government ministers have repeatedly identified overcrowding as one of the principal factors contributing to deteriorating prison conditions.
