Sri Lanka, Sept. 22 -- Officials have proposed referring minor offenders serving sentences of less than four years, or those unable to pay relatively small fines, to community service or work camps through expedited judicial procedures as part of measures to ease severe overcrowding in Sri Lankan prisons.

The proposal was discussed at a meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection, chaired by MP Dr Najith Indika, at the Parliamentary complex. It was proposed that such cases be dealt with through expedited judicial procedures.

The committee examined a range of legal, administrative and infrastructure measures aimed at addressing the growing pressure on the country's prison system.

Officials sa...