More than 370 inmates were granted bail and 234 discharged across the country following the review of 870 cases by the judiciary of Sierra Leone during the nationwide Judicial Week (from 31st January to 4th February 2022).
The Judiciary said in a statement on Thursday that, the Access to Justice Through Judicial Week is a huge success with many cases handled and completed by 26 Judges who were deployed across the Country.
The historic Judicial Week was held to increase access to justice and decongest correctional centres.
During the week, 870 inmates had the opportunity of their incarcerations being reviewed through bail variation, bail application, summary review and habeas corpus application.
“It should be noted that the initial number of incarcerated inmates was one thousand and thirteen (1,013). The number later increased to one thousand one hundred and seventy-five (1,175) inmates. Out of this number (1,175), the total number of prolonged adjournments were one hundred and thirty-four (134) and ninety-three (93) were completed.
There was a total of one hundred and four (104) Summary Review cases of which one hundred and one (101) was completed. Out of a total of one hundred and three (103) of the habeas corpus application, seventy-eight (78) without Indictments were completed and the remaining twenty-five (25) were referred to the Law Officers Department.”
This is a great accomplishment of the judiciary to decongest correctional centres and ensure access to justice.
According to the United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor 2020 report on Human Rights Practices, the Sierra Leone’s 21 prisons, designed to hold 2,375 inmates, held 3,808. “The most severe example of overcrowding was in the Freetown Male Correctional Center, designed to hold 324 inmates, which instead held 1,407 individuals. Some prison cells measuring six feet by nine feet held nine or more inmates.”