Prison and detention center conditions were harsh and sometimes life threatening due to food shortages, gross overcrowding, an inefficient justice system, lack of sufficient correctional facilities and personnel, physical abuse, lack of clean water, inadequate sanitary conditions, and a lack of proper medical care in prison facilities, according to the U.S. Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2021.
Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor report which was published recently mentioned that, “In contrast with 2020, there were no significant prison riots or violent incidents that raised human rights concerns.”
Physical Conditions
The report shows that as of August the country’s 21 prisons, designed to hold 2,375 inmates, held 4,430, including 1,289 convicted prisoners. The most severe example of overcrowding was in the Freetown Male Correctional Center, designed to hold 324 inmates, which instead held 1,573 individuals. Some prison cells measuring six feet by nine feet held nine or more inmates.
The nongovernmental organization (NGO) Prison Watch and SLCS [Sierra Leone Correctional Service] reported that 13 prisons and detention centers were moderately overcrowded, and one inmate jailed in 2007 had yet to appear in court.
The report states that in most cases pretrial detainees were held with convicted prisoners. As of August, the HRCSL [Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone], SLCS, and Prison Watch Sierra Leone reported that no prison or detention center facility held male and female inmates together. “Conditions in detention centers, including lighting, space, and ventilation, were generally better for female inmates than for male inmates,” the Report indicates
According to the SLCS, there were no juveniles in correctional facilities across the country. Nonetheless, it was often difficult to confirm the ages of inmates due to the pervasive lack of official documentation, which resulted in some juveniles being treated as adults and detained in adult correctional facilities.
Authorities sent most offenders younger than 18 to “Approved Schools” or reformatory institutions.
“According to the SLCS, although authorities made some efforts to avoid detaining juveniles with adults immediately after arrest, they frequently detained minors with adults in police holding cells while waiting to transfer the youths to one of three juvenile facilities. Authorities acknowledged these juvenile facilities lacked resources to function properly.”
The Report mentioned that, as of August the SLCS reported eight deaths in prisons and detention facilities due to malaria, respiratory and skin infections, and typhoid fever. “The HRCSL and Amnesty International reported the causes of death were related to prison conditions, such as overcrowding and poor hygienic conditions.”
The HRCSL and SLCS reported a shortage of prison staff, which resulted in a lack of security that endangered inmates’ safety. There was no report of prisoner-onprisoner violence or authorities’ failure to maintain control.
Amnesty International and Prison Watch Sierra Leone reported overcrowding, unhygienic conditions, and insufficient medical services. Conditions in police station holding cells were poor, especially in small stations outside Freetown, and in Moyamba and Bo correctional centers.
The report cited, “Lack of adequate physical facilities created life-threatening conditions for detainees. Holding cells in some facilities were often dark with little ventilation, and inmates slept on mattresses on bare floors. HRCSL reported poor toilet facilities in some correctional centers.”
“Cells often lacked proper lighting, space, bedding, ventilation, and protection from infectious diseases and mosquitoes. For example, the electricity at Moyamba Correctional Center was powered by a diesel generator, although management rarely had the funds to procure fuel, resulting in a lack of proper lighting. For security reasons authorities refused to allow inmates to sleep under mosquito nets, requiring inmates to use chemical repellents instead. Most prisons did not have piped water, and some inmates lacked sufficient access to potable water.”
Officials referred inmates to local government hospitals for special care, which largely accepted the inmates as patients. At Bo Correctional Center, the medical officer reported that the Bo Government Hospital had stopped accepting inmate referrals requiring surgical operations until the SLCS provided funds to cover their medical expenses.
Correctional service authorities and the HRCSL reported there was no discrimination against inmates with disabilities. The HRCSL and Prison Watch Sierra Leone reported they had no information regarding abuse of inmates with disabilities.
Administration
There was no prison ombudsman, but senior prison officials were available to respond to complaints. Amnesty International reported that SLCS authorities generally investigated credible allegations of mistreatment of inmates.
Authorities permitted regular family visits and provided some correctional centers with a telephone for inmates to communicate with their relatives. The UN Development Program provided other correctional facilities with cellphones and credits for inmates to use to communicate with their families under supervision.
Independent Monitoring
The report documented that the government permitted monitoring by independent nongovernmental observers. International monitors had unrestricted access to the detention centers and police holding cells. The HRCSL, Amnesty International, and Prison Watch Sierra Leone monitored prisons frequently, especially after 2019 violence in Bo Correctional Center. The SLCS also allowed other NGOs such as Humanist Watch to monitor prison conditions on a regular basis.
Improvements
Authorities constructed latrines and shower facilities in the Port Loko, Bo, Magburaka, and Moyamba district correctional facilities, according to the report. Several correctional facilities also implemented prison industries, such as bread baking, agriculture, and carpentry, and established inmate earning schemes, creating bank accounts for participating inmates and regularly depositing earnings from work activities.
“Prison authorities issued new bedding and pillows to several correctional centers. Nationwide, SLCS authorities established mechanisms for receiving prisoner complaints. The SLCS painted signs listing inmate visitation hours and phone numbers outside correctional facility walls and publicized visits as free of charge,” the Report shows.
By Alusine Sesay