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Kandakadu: Overcrowding leads to clashes as new patients fail to adjust
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
The Kandakadu rehabilitation centre clashes erupted due to newly admitted drug addicts experiencing violent episodes stemming from drug withdrawal syndrome, Commissioner General Rehabilitation Major General Dharshana Hettirachachi said yesterday.
He said the first incident on Friday, January 12, occurred as drug addicts who came from different areas formed gangs and clashed with each other.
The clash broke out during meal time, he said. Around 90 had escaped from the camp during the clash.
“These addicts have been taking drugs for 15 to 20 years, and they have a difficult first few days without drugs, so frequent violent outbursts against other inmates and staff occur,” he added.
Over 62 inmates have been detained by the Police, and the people in the area had assisted he said.
“At least 28 inmates are still missing,” he added.
He said that they are unable to give accurate numbers of the missing inmates until they are able to stop the clashes completely.
Maj Hettiarchachi added that 24 members who sustained injuries in Friday’s clashes had been admitted to hospital.
He added that Police, Special Task Force and military personnel had been deployed to control the situation, yet the clashes occurred again on Saturday morning.
As the surrounding area is flooded the escapees have less chance of fleeing, especially since police barriers have been set up he pointed out.
A senior official attached to the centre, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that they do not exceed the maximum capacity of the centre which was 500, as the correction centre could not facilitate such a crowd.
The official added that as the centre is not a prison, overcrowding cannot be allowed as it would hinder rehabilitation programmes.
The official also added that more Police raids carried out through the Yukthiya programme and other incidents have increased new admissions. The high number of new drug-deprived addicts behave violently and cause clashes.
The official said that correction and rehabilitation centres require medical equipment and teams of medical professionals to deal with inmates with drug withdrawal syndrome.
Some doctors refuse to work at rehabilitation centres such as Kandakadu which is 30 kilometres away from Welikanda and difficult to access, he said.
The Commissioner General of Prison’s Gamini Bandara Dissanayake said that overcrowding leads to spread of disease too.
He added that recently three remand prisoners from Matara and Galle died of meningitis, while 18 inmates of Matara prison and 8 prisoners from Galle prison were admitted to hospital. Four prisoners are receiving treatment at Karapitiya Hospital.
Director, Prison Health Services, Dr Hemantha Ranasinghe explained that the spread of disease mostly occurs at remand prisons where over 90 percent of the inmates are drug addicts.
“Drug addicts are immuno-compromised and weak, therefore they could easily contract both communicable and non-communicable diseases,” he said.
Dr Ranasinghe pointed out that Galle prison only had the capacity for 400 inmates but it has around 1,200 inmates.
“When prisons are overcrowded it is difficult to maintain distance among inmates, provide proper ventilation, and give them physical exercise,” he added.
He said the Government should find solutions to reduce overcrowding of prisons by setting up a house arrest system and see if closed down hospitals and school buildings could be acquired to house inmates.
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