There is an increase in suicides, especially by hanging. In the last four years, 631 people have died in prison. Other main causes are fighting, violence and illness, often caused by psychological disorders or drug abuse. The Human Rights Commission has called for more protection, such as taking identification photographs at the time of arrest.
Colombo () – The unprecedented increase in deaths of people held in Sri Lankan prisons is causing concern. In 2024, 50 more people will have lost their lives than last year. The main causes are suicides, poor health conditions and attacks. In 2023 there were 209 deaths, said Gamini B. Dissanayake, commissioner for prisons, adding that now the number is much higher. The most alarming thing is the increase in suicides, which the prison system is not in a position to prevent. In 2023, 17 cases were reported, including 3 foreign citizens.
Statistics released by the country's Department of Corrections, pressed by a request filed under the Right to Information Act, show that in the past four years there have been 61 people, both convicted and suspects, who hanged themselves while in prison. the jail. In the last four years, a total of 631 detainees have died in detention. Those who died from the disease are mostly men, and 18 women. Among the inmates who died in prison, 357 were not convicted but suspects. In 2020 the figure was 18, between 2021 and 2022 there were 14 and last year 15. Most deaths were caused by diseases, but unfortunately the most common cause is hanging.
There are also losses of life due to clashes between inmates, fueled by overcrowding and the terrible structural conditions of the prison buildings. For example, in 2020, 11 prisoners died in brawls at the high-security Mahara prison and two were shot during riots at Anuradhapura prison. A prisoner lost his life electrocuted by an electrical cable that fell on a rainy day and in the same Negombo prison another prisoner was beaten to death by his cellmates. Last year, three prisoners drowned in the Mahaweli River, into which they had jumped to escape from Pallekele prison in Kandy. Another died while trying to escape from Kegalle prison and another fell from a coconut tree he had climbed after escaping from Pallansena prison in Negombo.
reported statements by Kasun Withanage and Anusha Samanthilaka, human rights lawyers, who cite a study carried out by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on the main causes of death in prisons, which point out various reasons. “For example, violence inflicted by the inmates themselves and prison officials, which ends up causing death – they explain -. The deceased were often in a state of suffering, most often with symptoms of drug withdrawal or psychological disorders.” The latter, which affect the health of imprisoned people, are often used to justify violent acts and disturbances.
“The Commission also documented that it is necessary to identify the signs and photograph the detainee at the time of admission, because this would allow the identification of injuries suffered before imprisonment – continue Kasun and Anusha -. “It would help determine if the attack occurred inside the prison or before entering.” Greater transparency is therefore called for to allow abuses against imprisoned people to be tracked and prevent them from falling into a double state of fragility. However, those who are detained overnight can only be examined the next day due to a lack of officials. “If a new inmate is assaulted during his first night, prior to registration, it may not be possible to determine whether the injuries were inflicted in prison or during arrest,” he continues.
Psychologist Ruwan Dissanayaka explains the reasons why these people resort to extreme gestures. “When prisoners are placed in solitary confinement, most of them self-harm and become suicidal,” he says. “What contributes to the increase in this distress is undoubtedly the worsening of symptoms of people suffering from mental illness, as well as the lack of medical care.” On the other hand, due to the lack of security personnel in most of the prisons in Sri Lanka, clashes between inmates occur at night, because the prison officers on duty cannot properly carry out their patrol work. Those injured in brawls sometimes do not have access to medical care, especially emergency care during nighttime hours, and this factor is also considered to have contributed to some deaths in prisons.
