Overcrowded Injustice: Sri Lanka's Prison Riots Expose Systemic Failures The recent prison riots in Sri Lanka, which left three people dead and 23 injured, have highlighted a long standing crisis that threatens the stability of the country's justice system.
The severity of overcrowding has reached a point where it can spark violence on such a scale, underscoring the government's failure to address this pressing issue.
Sri Lanka's prisons were built to accommodate around 11,000 people but hold over 41,000 inmates. This means nearly four out of five prisoners are being held in facilities designed for one third their number.