A study on the challenges faced by prison officials in managing the well-being of long-term remand prisoners

Abstract

Long-term remand detention represents a critical yet underexplored dimension of correctional management, particularly in developing country contexts where systemic constraints are most acute. This qualitative study examines the challenges faced by prison officials in Sri Lanka in managing the well-being of long-term remand prisoners, focusing on the adequacy of existing facilities, access to programmes, institutional challenges, and systemic limitations. Employing purposive sampling, ten prison officials from remand facilities in the Colombo district were selected as participants. Data was collected through two rounds of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions and subsequently analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis framework. Four principal themes emerged from the analysis. First, severe institutional challenges, including critical staff shortages, extreme overcrowding where cells designed for 20 prisoners were found to house over 60, and poor inter-agency coordination, were identified as fundamental barriers to effective management. Second, profound mental and physical health deficiencies, including the near-total absence of professional psychological services and grossly inadequate medical provision, leave a vulnerable population without meaningful care. Third, systemic legal delays compounded by restricted access to legal aid result in prisoners enduring years of detention without trial or charge. Fourth, long-term remand prisoners are categorically excluded from rehabilitative and reintegration programmes, leaving them institutionally unsupported upon release. The findings reveal that Sri Lanka's remand system falls significantly short of both constitutional obligations and international standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. The study recommends urgent reforms encompassing infrastructure investment, dedicated mental health services, digitised court-prison communication systems, strengthened legal aid delivery, and structured reintegration planning for remand prisoners.

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