Only Panadols: True Prisons – Part 1

by Harshi. C. Perera

(October 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Jinadasa (64) lives in Udalamaththa, Galle. He had a dispute with a person but the police took his side and produced him before the courts on fabricated charges.

He was imprisoned and placed in H ward which was terribly overcrowded. The space of the ward was enough for 150 detainees but there were, in fact, about 300. The majority of them were unable to find surety and pay a small fine.

A considerable number of detainees had skin diseases. There was an asthma patient too and he suffered from frequent attacks. The authorities had refused to give medicine although they asked for it. Instead of providing medicine they blamed the detainees. The prison officers were not concerned about the sick detainees. The only medicine they had was panadol.

At lunch time the detainees had to wait in the queue. If they were moved instead of waiting the order of the queue the prison officer assaulted them using a pole. Then they were forced to wait at the end of the queue. The toilets were unbearable and awful. These were cleaned only using water.

The pre trial detainees had to work hard. If not they were beaten and blamed using filth. The welfare officers received various goods but they did not give them to the detainees. The detainees were smoking ganja cigars and taking drugs. They themselves made fire.

There was no enough space to sleep and keep clothes. Jinadasa was imprisoned as a healthy person but released as a patient of pneumonia and itching.

It mentions in the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners as,

Medical services

22. (1) At every institution there shall be available the services of at least one qualified medical officer who should have some knowledge of psychiatry. The medical services should be organized in close relationship to the general health administration of the community or nation. They shall include a psychiatric service for the diagnosis and, in proper cases, the treatment of states of mental abnormality.

(2) Sick prisoners who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals. Where hospital facilities are provided in an institution, their equipment, furnishings and pharmaceutical supplies shall be proper for the medical care and treatment of sick prisoners, and there shall be a staff of suitable trained officers.

(3) The services of a qualified dental officer shall be available to every prisoner.