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Prisons Dept. provides manpower for Govt. projects
View(s):The Prisons Department has accelerated its work release programme which sees prisoners all over the country perform labour for Government departments. There are 55 prisoners working in Colombo alone, said Gamini Kulatunga, Prison Spokesman. Twenty-five of them are “contracted” to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). They can be seen laying paving stones on Horton Place as part of a project funded by the Council.
Prisoners at work at Horton Place. Pic by Amila Gamage
“We are getting prisoners booked on minor offences to perform these jobs,” said Colombo Mayor M J M Muzammil. “It was the Defence Secretary who proposed that we hire them to expedite our work.”
Several other areas of Colombo are receiving a facelift under the World Bank funded Metro Colombo Urban Development Project. However, the Urban Development Authority said last week that no prison labour was used in any activities sponsored by the Bank.
The prisoners on Horton Place were dressed in blue T-shirts and distinctive blue and white, checked shorts — uniform provided by the CMC. Inmates working on other sites do not wear this combination of clothes, the spokesman said.
The men are paid Rs. 300 a day. Part of this money goes towards the Prison Welfare Fund while the rest is credited to their individual accounts, ready for collection upon their release. “It is an allowance for them,” Mr Kulatunga said, reacting to the question of whether this was not “cheap labour”. “You must remember that they are prisoners and have been convicted of committing crimes.”
Eligible categories of prisoners habitually request early release due to good behaviour. Mr. Kulatunga said their contributions towards development activities are also considered by the interview board when considering the appeals.
Prisoners are also working for the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) which is the main CHOGM venue, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Sports Ministry. They also finished an assignment with the Permanent Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
“We only accommodate requests for labour from the public sector,” said Mr Kulatunga. “That is because this is not done for a profit so the private sector is excluded. If a Government institution wants to take advantage of our work release programme, it should make a written request.”
Inmates who are eligible for these tasks are short term prisoners booked for minor crimes or long-term prisoners who have just a few months of their sentences left to serve. “It is very essential that none of them have pending cases or are not expected to have police supervision after their release,” Mr Kulatunga explained.
The work release programme dates back several decades and there are prisoners working for institutions around the country.
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