It is reported that the Prisons Department is planning to implement an alternative system of house arrest in Sri Lanka instead of imprisoning convicts.
It is said that this alternative system will be introduced as a solution to prison congestion as well as instead of imprisoning convicts for minor offenses.
The Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya said that this new system is expected to monitor the relevant persons by fitting an electronic device on their foot or hand as is the practice in developed countries.
It is proposed to implement this system targeting people who are imprisoned for minor offenses, including traffic offenses and failing to pay fines.
The Commissioner General of Prisons points out that in this system, those who are unable to pay the fines can be placed under house arrest and directed to go to work and pay the fines due to the government.
He said that GPS technology can be used to detect if house arrestees are leaving their homes and bring them to prisons and detain them.
Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya handed over the five year plan for prison reform to Justice Minister Ali Sabri at the Jaffna Prison yesterday (09).
This is to be implemented as a solution to the prison congestion in accordance with UN standards.
