Dhaka, July 4 -- A government-commissioned inquiry has found major structural and operational flaws in five of Bangladesh's prisons that experienced riots, arson, jailbreaks, and weapons looting during the July Uprising and after the fall of the Awami League government.

The findings, submitted recently to the government, identify "broad causes" of the prison security breakdown and outline steps to prevent future incidents, according to a senior official at the Department of Prisons.

The prison unrest began during student protests and escalated after the interim administration took over. Inmates in several prisons became agitated, with authorities inside overwhelmed by limited personnel and violent mobs both inside and outside prison wal...