The Department of Prisons is a non-ministerial government department

Non-ministerial government department

A non-ministerial government department is a department or ministry of a government that is not headed by a Government Minister or Government Secretary, and answers directly to a legislature ....

 in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

 responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders and terror suspects in Sri Lanka, it comes under purview of the Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms

Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms (Sri Lanka)

The Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka that directs implementation of Policies, plans and Programmes in respect of Justice and Law Reforms, as well as handles the administration of courts and prisons....

. The Commissioner General of Prisons reports to the Minister of the Justice, who is in turn responsible to the Parliament of Sri Lanka

Parliament of Sri Lanka

The Parliament of Sri Lanka is the 225-member unicameral legislature of Sri Lanka. The members of Parliament are elected by proportional representation for six-year terms, with universal suffrage. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws...

 for all the departments under his portfolio.

The current Commissioner General of Prisons is P.W.Kodippili.

Mission statement

"Rehabilitation of prisoners and youthful offenders committed to prisons and training schools under the authority of any court in the island and research and training in the field of correction, custody, care and production of remand prisoners before the courts"

History

The new prisons system that evolved in Britain was introduced to the British colonies during 1844. The Department of Prisons came into existence first affiliated to the Police Dept. under the then Inspector General of Police Sir George Campbel under the Act no.18 of 1844. The supervisions and control of all prisons in the Island ware vested in Inspector General of Prisons. From its inceptions the office of Inspector General of Prisons was held by the Inspector General of Police until 1905 when they separated Major de Wilton who till then held both offices was appointed Inspector General of Prisons and he was also appointed to be the Superintendent of the Prisons at Welikada, Mutwal and Hultsdorf. In 1922 when the penal colony of the Andaman Islands

Andaman Islands

The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...

 were closed down and 62 life convicts sent back to Ceylon. 1944 a probation system was introduced as a branch of the Prison Department

Responsibilities

The Department of Prisons is tasked with ensuring that custodial sentences (imprisonment) and non-custodial sentences and orders (home detention, supervision, community work and release on conditions) imposed by Sri Lankan Courts are administered in a safe, secure, humane and effective way. The Department aims to contribute to the maintenance of a safe and just society by reducing the level of re-offending through the delivery of targeted and appropriate programmes to help offender’s rehabilitation and reintegration to society.
The Department is also responsible for the transportation of prisoners within the country with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Police.

Facilities

• Prison Headquarters, Colombo

• The Centre for Research and Training in Corrections

• Maximum security prisons - 03
  • Welikada Prison
    Welikada Prison
    The Welikada Prison is a maximum security prison and is the largest prison in Sri Lanka. It was built in 1841 by the British colonial government under Governor Cameron. The prison covers and area of . It is over-crowded with about 1700 detainees exceeding the actual member that could be accommodated...
    
    
  • Bogambara Prison
    Bogambara Prison
    The Bogambara Prison is a maximum security prison and is the second largest prison in Sri Lanka. Situated in the old city of Kandy in the Central Province it was built in 1876 by the British colonial government under instructions of Inspector General Of Prisons and Police, N.R. Saunders...
    
    
  • Mahara Prison
    Mahara Prison
    The Mahara Prison is a maximum security prison, and is one of the largest prisons in Sri Lanka. Situated in the old city of Mahara in the Western Province, it was built in 1875 by the British colonial government to ease the congestion at the Slave Island prison. It was used to house the prisoners...
    
    

• Remand Prisons - 17
• Work Camps – 06
• Open Prison Camps – 02
  • Pallekele Open Prisons Camp
• Correctional Centers for Youthful Offenders –02
• Training School for Youthful Offenders – 01
• Work Release Center – 01
• Lock–ups –28 (Prison buildings sited near courts to which prisoners with pending cases are transferred.)

Officers

• Commissioner General of Prisons
• Commissioner of Prisons
• Deputy Commissioner of Prisons (SLAS officer
  Sri Lanka Administrative Service
  The Sri Lanka Administrative Service is the key administrative service of the Government of Sri Lanka, with civil servants working for both in the Central Government as well as in the provincial councils. It was formed as the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 as the successor to the Ceylon...
  
  )
• Commissioner (Welfare)
• Superintendent (Special Grade)
• Superintendent
• Assistant Superintendent

Jailors

• Chief Jailor, Chief Welfare Officer
• Jailor Class 1, Senior Welfare Officer
• Jailor Class 2

External links

• Official website