Justice Investment Options

Integrate gender equity indicators into performance assessments of prison administration leadership. Establish minimum healthcare staffing norms aligned with WHO guidelines. Integrate prison healthcare staffing plans into national health workforce planning. Create incentives (salary uplifts, career credit, rural service allowances) to attract and retain medical professionals in prisons. Create dedicated mental health cadres within prisons (psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses). Mandate mental health screening at admission and periodic follow-up. Implement a follow up program on bail out prisoners in coordination with community police Review prison capacity to deliver effective vocational & rehabilitation programs (including reviewing remuneration rates and revitalising work release schemes for prisoners) Introduce a prison asset-management framework with condition assessments, maintenance schedules, and replacement timelines. Use data to prioritise high-risk facilities and interventions. Ensure cells adequately ventilated (including fans) especially for young persons under 18 in line with the Mandela Rules Install back-up generators in each prison Ensure every prison has a health facility with adequate equipped dispensary Improve ventilation, drainage, and hygiene infrastructure to address preventable diseases. Treat toilet infrastructure as an emergency public health intervention in line with ICRC specifications Install flush toilets with doors/cubicles and ensure night-time access. Enforce minimum toilet-to-prisoner ratios and continuous water supply as non-negotiable standards. Expand the number of workshops to cater to public service needs (eg mechanics for the fleet and police vehicles, carpentry for schools -desks, chairs, benches etc) Ensure all productive land is put to use. Equip prisons with gardening tools and develop horticultural projects (vegetables, fruit) to supplement the ration. Invest in agricultural, vocational, and workshop infrastructure using existing land and align prison labour infrastructure with fair remuneration reforms and skills certification. Establish minimum standards for records storage (physical and digital), paired with investment in secure record rooms and phased digitisation. Create space in wards / cells by installing bunk beds Modernise prison visiting areas in line with international standards Develop a fleet-renewal and transport-staffing strategy, with explicit benchmarks for vehicle age, availability, and medical/court transfer response times. Transition prisons to cleaner, regulated energy sources (LPG, biogas, or electricity where feasible). Upgrade kitchen drainage, flooring, and food storage facilities. Expand rehabilitation and counselling cadres as a core component of prison staffing. Prioritise psychosocial rehabilitation alongside vocational and educational programmes. Partner with NGOs and community-based service providers to supplement in-prison capacity to provide vocational and educational programmes. Divert drug users to drug rehabilitation centres Divert mentally ill offenders away from the criminal justice system to treatment facilities Authorise accredited LAPs to provide advice and assistance to sentenced prisoners on appeal. Review bail policy to enable eligible persons - especially women - to be released earlier (first or second hearing) Authorise accredited legal aid providers to provide advice and assistance to remand prisoners to link them to a lawyer / their families / the courts. Ensure adequate separation of prisoners: unsentenced from sentenced; and adults from persons under 18. Mandate separate, age-appropriate custodial infrastructure for young persons. Apply enhanced standards for lighting, ventilation, temperature control, and supervision. Subject youth detention facilities to heightened inspection and oversight regimes. Review judicial appointment and promotion criteria to identify structural or informal barriers. Introduce transparent, merit-based progression pathways with gender-sensitive safeguards. Improve security at court and home, especially for Magistrates. Conduct full review of judges' security at court and at home. Increase number of mudliyars and translators Ensure all magistrates receive specialised training in child rights and chIld justice Sensitise all judges on principles relating to rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Develop guidelines on child friendly court procedures Develop guidelines for the judiciary on special considerations when working with children with disabilities and orient judges on the implementation of the guidelines Establish help desks at District and Magistrates court serviced by LAPs. Standardise multilingual signage requirements across all courts, including higher courts. Review options for freeing up space by disposing of expired exhibits (including by public auction) Require basic food and refreshment facilities in courts with extended daily sittings. Explore public–private partnerships or regulated vendors to provide services sustainably. Make separate entry/exit routes for vulnerable witnesses mandatory. Develop guidelines on managing vulnerable witnesses and victims Provide secure evidence rooms especially in the Magistrates and High Courts Treat waiting areas as a core access-to-justice requirement, not an optional facility. Introduce minimum standards for seating, shelter, sanitation access, and crowd management. Prioritise high-volume courts (DCMCs, Magistrates' Courts) in capital upgrades. Adapt courts to provide adequate access for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and mandate universal design standards (ramps, lifts, accessible toilets, signage, acoustics). Require disability-access audits and time-bound compliance plans for all courts. Invest in video-link testimony rooms as a standard feature, aligned with victim-protection laws. Establish minimum environmental health standards for court halls (ventilation, temperature, air quality). Ensure adequate holding capacity and conditions for men and women at High and Magistrates courts Upgrade space and fittings in court registries , especially in Magistrates courts Set minimum professional-facility standards for attorneys, including robing rooms and toilets. Ensure gender-sensitive design for legal professionals. Ensure dedicated toilets for men and women attorneys, especially in the High Courts. Make provision for toilet facilities for men, women and PWDs both for court staff and public. Require gender-segregated and disability-accessible toilets as a baseline facility. Establish minimum workspace standards for all court staff, not only judges. Commission survey of judicial residences, prioritising rural and high-risk locations. Install security equipment at courts and judges' homes. Prioritise low-cost, high-impact measures (lighting, access control, panic buttons, CCTV where appropriate). Provide security-awareness and incident-response training for judges and court staff and develop standard operating procedures for threats, evacuations, and emergencies. Establish minimum national security standards for all courts. Conduct regular, standardised security audits at court level. Provide all courts with access to internet, especially Magistrates Courts and treat reliable internet access as essential judicial infrastructure. Review and upgrade office equipment (computers, printers, p/copiers, toner + maintenance contracts) Establish minimum transport entitlements for judges, prioritising circuit courts and rural postings. Consider pooled or shared vehicle models to manage costs while safeguarding independence. Develop a phased rollout plan to extend digital recording and display technology to lower courts. High Court judges visit prisons to review s54 Drugs Ordinance cases by conducting mobile ('camp') courts in prisons Institute court appointed lawyers / legal assistance where the interests of justice require Issue guidelines to ensure bail is not withheld due to the poverty of the accused Permit fines to be paid in installments Refresher courses to judges on sentencing practice and principles Develop guidelines for police on special considerations when working with children with disabilities and train officers to implement the guidelines. Issue directives to ensure bail is not withheld due to the poverty of the accused Issue directive to police to charge s78 Drugs Ordinance in appropriate circumstances (not s54) Ensure all LACs have full complement of administrative staff Pilot Public Defenders in Colombo Establish paralegal advisory services in support of in-house attorneys and panel lawyers. Establish paralegal advisory services at police. Establish paralegal advisory services at court. Establish paralegal advisory services in prison in support of unrepresented remand prisoners. Establish paralegal advisory services in prison in support of unrepresented sentenced prisoners on appeal. Review vehicle fleet needs primarily in remote locations Ensure all LACs have office space with appropriate facilities including staff toilets (men / women) and Persons With Disability (PWD) access. Ensure all LACs have public waiting areas and access to public toilets, especially PWDs. Ensure space is available for private consultations in all LACs. Develop specialised capacity among in-house and panel attorneys to deliver legal aid to children. Develop guidelines for legal aid providers on special considerations when working with children with disabilities and train LAPs to implement the guidelines. Develop guidelines for LAPs on managing vulnerable witnesses and victims Broaden the scope of legal aid provider to include trained non-lawyers and law students; and widen institutional partnerships to provide legal aid services to incude NGOs, Law schools and universities. Guarantee prompt and effective access to legal aid services at all stages of the criminal justice system. Expand geographical coverage (through partnerships) to include marginalised and remote areas. Ensure mandatory written and oral notification to suspects at police of their right to legal aid upon their arrest and detention. Revise the 1978 legal aid law in light of international standards and best practice emphasising the independence of the LAC and LAPs. Introduce gender-responsive HR policies, including leadership development, mentoring, and transparent promotion pathways for women. Set time-bound targets or minimum representation thresholds for women in senior and middle management. Establish provincial branches of the Department of Government Analyst to accelerate the judicial process Establish research / statistical units in each justice institution at district level to collect and analyse disaggregated data (including on gender based violence and environmental justice). Establish coordination committees at district level to improve cooperation mechanisms between criminal justice agencies. Enhance the role of the DCBC in managing non-violent offenders. Position CBCs as a central pillar of criminal justice policy, not a residual service and treat CBC infrastructure as a strategic investment with high returns in reduced prison overcrowding. Ensure adequate complement of work supervisors Positively recruit women CBCOs and supervisors Ensure all CBCOs have adequate office working space. Establish minimum space standards for CBC offices, including private interview rooms. Ensure access to staff toilets Ensure all CBCOs have public waiting areas with access for PWDs and public toilets Ensure all CBCOs have private consultation rooms. Commisson diagnostic study/survey of Community Mediation Boards (CMB) Introduce Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Implement prosecution guidleines that must be followed by the AGD when prosecuting. Expand network of drug rehabilitation centres island-wide through public private prtnerships.