COLOMBO, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government will recruit 82 government analysts in the first quarter of 2026 to speed up police investigations and ease overcrowding in prisons, a senior minister told parliament on Tuesday.
Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara said about 75 percent of inmates are remand prisoners, many held on suspected drug-related offenses. Most of them remain in custody because drug analysis reports are delayed due to staff shortages, worsening prison congestion.
He said the government aims to cut the time taken to issue analyst reports to under three months through the new recruitment drive.
Sri Lanka has 36 prisons housing about 34,000 inmates, with the majority incarcerated for drug-related offenses. ■
