according to their conviction status for quantitative reporting purposes. i. e. PTA Remandee,
PTA Convicted.
•
Young offenders
Despite the requirement for young offenders to be held in juvenile detention centers,
offenders under the age of eighteen are often held in adult prisons, thus placing their safety
and security under threat. This would also increase the risk of breeding criminality in prison
if young offenders come into contact with offenders charged for committing major crimes.
•
Women prisoners
Women in Sri Lankan society experience considerable discrimination and marginalization,
and an environment (such as prison) that places constraints on the exercise of their rights
exacerbates their existing vulnerabilities.
•
Foreign detainees
Foreign national prisoners would likely suffer from considerable language and cultural
barriers in Sri Lankan prisons and are an internationally recognized vulnerable group due
to their specific grievances and needs, such as access to consular representatives.
•
Prisoners with disabilities
Sri Lanka currently has a poor record with regards to implementing international and
national standards on disability rights and access. Hence, in a prison environment, due to
problems such as the lack of funding, the rights of prisoners with disabilities and facilitation
of their equal access may receive lower priority.
4. Research methods
4.1.
Prison inspections
All prison visits were conducted under the mandated power of the Commission to enter a
place of detention without giving prior notice. 6 The principle of ensuring the prison
administration was unaware of the Commission’s visit was a fundamental criterion for
conducting prison inspections. All prison visits were conducted between April and
September 2018. The visit to each prison lasted an average of four days, with the team
sometimes spending five or six days at a prison if the prison was larger and more time was
required to access all prisoners and all parts of the institution.
Inspections of the facility were always conducted on the first day of each prison visit, in order
to minimize the risk of prison authorities changing the conditions of the prison in
6
Human Rights Commission Act No 21 of 1996, ss 11 (d), 28 (2).
8