To assist those interested in studying the ways and means of reducing the crime rate in Sri Lanka, data were compiled covering the years 1988 to 1999 on convicted and unconvicted prisoners in Sri Lanka. This report is intended to be a comprehensive compendium based on statistical data covering a wide scope of Sri Lanka’s crime wave and escalating prison population, providing inroads into the prison operational mechanism. The report is divided into 10 data specific sections: (1) prison institutions of Sri Lanka; (2) departmental staff; (3) unconvicted prisoners; (4) convicted prisoners; (5) direct admission to the training school for youthful offenders; (6) death sentences; (7) prisoners released on work release scheme; (8) the value of industrial and agricultural output; (9) general, such as escapes and capital expenditures; and (10) drug offenders. The report is followed by a chronology of the history of prisons in Sri Lanka. Tables