By Donstance Koroma
Inadequate accommodation and poor condition of cells in the four correctional centres in the Eastern region is alarming.
The 2023 Audit report continues to highlight the issue of overcrowding in correctional facilities across the country owing to the adverse effects on inmates regarding health risks through communicable diseases.
According to the report, overcrowding in the cells of the male correctional centre has worsened this year. “This was reported in the previous year. No remedial action was taken to address the issue,” the Audit Report stated.
In one of the cells, for instance, there were ten inmates. The number of inmates have increased from 782- 952 compared to the previous year.
The four correctional centres in the Eastern region should hold 455 inmates. But there is a total increase of 497, which is 109 percent, more than the normal capacity, according to the report.
The report further exposed the harsh realities of inmates in the Eastern region, sighting the none availability of floor mats, mattresses badly worn out, and inmates usually exposed to cold temperature during the rainy season.
Inmates are usually in the dark from dawn to dusk daily due to the absence of ventilation or light, the report emphasized.
Lack of monitoring system like biometric recording to track the identity and data of inmates via finger print upon arrival has resulted in recurring misidentification of repeat offenders. Sanitary challenges, lack of vocational and recreational facilities and ill-equipped vocational tools not fit for purpose were also captured in the report.
Responding to issues raised in the report, the Director-General, Sierra Leone Correctional Service, Joseph John Senesie, in an exclusive interview, tied down issues raised in the report to resource constraints.
‘‘Monitoring system without electrification of correctional centres will be a waste of resources,’’ he said.
He attributed overcrowding to inadequate cells in all the twenty-one correctional facilities across the country.
Senesie therefore called for alternative means of imprisonment via community services to decongest the cells.
It could be recalled that Senesie and her deputy were approved by Parliament on the 10th January 2025. Both have a strong background in prison management and criminal justice reform.
The Director-General noted that his appointment signals continues focus on transforming the correctional system into one that prioritizes rehabilitation and reintegration, stressing the need for a shift from punishment to rehabilitation and reintegration that would lay premium on education, vocational training and mental health programs to equip inmates with skills to reintegrate into society.
The DG called for strong collaboration with stakeholders to put an end to prison overcrowding to improve prison living conditions, ensure that human rights are upheld, thereby creating a system in which rehabilitation takes precedence over retribution.
