anticipation of the Commission visiting the next day. The research team surveyed the entire facility and inspected prison cell and ward conditions, as well as the conditions of the washrooms, kitchens, visit rooms, medical facility and the preparation of food. Conditions of work places, as well as the conditions at open camps and closed prisons were also inspected. Condition and maintenance of all prisoner records, the various record books maintained in each prison, as well as the system of remuneration for prisoners and storage of their personal possessions were examined. The team made notes of any adherence to or violations of the Nelson Mandela Rules using the checklist of the Rules formulated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (hereinafter referred to as UNODC) to help assess compliance of Sri Lanka’s prison conditions with constitutional and international standards. 4.2. Questionnaires Questionnaires were self-administered by prisoners and respondents were selected using a random sampling technique based on voluntary participation, guaranteeing full confidentiality to each inmate. Five different types of questionnaires were designed: Treatment & Conditions, Remandee, Convicted, Condemned/Life and PTA. All inmates were requested to complete the standard Treatment and Conditions questionnaire, and a second questionnaire, corresponding with their detention status. For e.g. a convicted prisoner would have to complete the Treatment and Conditions questionnaire as well as the Convicted questionnaire. A total of 125 questionnaires were administered in the male section of each institution in the chosen sample. Of the total number of 125, the number of convicted, remandee and condemned questionnaires to be administered in each prison was calculated based on the population in that prison to reflect the proportion of remandee to convicted inmates in the general population. Statistics provided by the DOP were used to derive proportions. Since PTA inmates were not held at every institution, similar to women prisoners, all PTA prisoners encountered during the prison visits were requested to complete the questionnaires and the number of PTA questionnaires conducted were in addition to the 125 administered in each prison in the sample. For example, in a men’s prison that holds 195 convicted inmates, 14 condemned/life inmates, 5 PTA inmates and 926 remandees – the numbers of questionnaires conducted would be: 21 convicted, 2 condemned/life and 102 remandee questionnaires, constituting a total of 125, and 5 PTA questionnaires. As highlighted earlier, the study aimed to administer questionnaires to all female prisoners that were included in the sample of prisoners. However, more than 150 female prisoners were transferred from Welikada Prison to Agunukolapelassa Closed Prison after the Commission’s visit to Agunukolapelassa Closed Prison, and before the visit to Welikada Prison. As a result of this, almost 150 women were not accessed and were not included in the sample of female respondents. 9