By Stephen V. Lansana
The Sierra Leone Correctional Services (SLCS) has on Monday, August 19, 2024 estimated Le 193, 150, 300.00 for the 2024 Financial Year (FY). The Director of Support Services of SLCS, CSP Susan B. Coker made this presentation during the Bilateral Budget Discussions with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) which is organized by the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) at the Ministry of Finance’s Conference Room in Freetown. The Bilateral budget discussions which commenced today, August 19th, will end on August 30, 2024. The hearing was well attended by relevant stakeholders in the country, like MoPED, Ministry of Finance, District Budget Oversight Committees, Civil Society Organizations, and the Media, among others. CSP Susan Coker said that the SLCS has aligned its operations with the five key policy objectives under the big five game changers which includes: infrastructure, technology and innovation; transforming the public service architecture; Accelerating productivity and commercialization of the agricultural sector; women’s empowerment and youth employment schemes. Presenting on their achievements, she said that they had undertaken a construction of perimeter fence at COTS and the rehabilitation of billets and classrooms for recruit training, and a construction of gate lodge at Pre-Trial and detention centres in Waterloo. She disclosed that they had provided medical services for inmates, noting that the Correctional Officers do not have medical facilities at the moment. Madam Coker said that the Sierra Leone Correctional Service has a farming sites in Kenema and Mafanta, adding that through the Ministry of Agriculture, they were able to distribute 400 bags of fertilizer and also provide some agricultural machineries to their Mafanta and Kenema farming sites.
She added, “In a bid to support the Feed Salone Agenda of the President, we have completed a project proposal on agriculture and submitted it to the Ministry of Agriculture and West African Women in Agriculture (WAWA) for sponsorship.” On Revenue Mobilization, she said that their annual spending on the welfare of inmates including diet, medical etc ranges from NLe 100m-130m, adding that 80% of that amount was spent on feeding inmates countrywide. She explained that the SLCS had developed a project proposal on large scale mechanized farming that will help provide food to feed inmates and feed the country and thereby reduce the diet cost.
She pointed out that the SLCS has 60% of youthful inmates and those who are not high-risk inmates will be utilized in the farms where they (inmates) will receive a daily wage which will be saved for them and handed over to them upon their release. She disclosed that they have agricultural farm lands available in several areas: 557 acres in Mafanta, 25 acres in Makari, 5,000 acres in Masanke, 21 acres in Kenema and 300 acres in Rolako, noting that more lands will be available if they had better financial support.
“SLCS has adequate manpower (inmates and corrections staff) to provide labor for farming on an earning scheme basis,” she emphasized, disclosing that there is an existing service level agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture for large scale farming and training of inmates in Agriculture. She added, “The Service being endowed with adequate farm lands and labor, accessing funding and input support from government will enable the department to play succinct roles in food production that will directly reduce government spending on diet.” She highlighted several challenges; like overcrowding in all centres , delay in the disbursement of funds, accumulation of high payment arrears to suppliers and service providers, lack of a clearly defined and approved operational policies, low staff to inmates ratio, insufficient vehicles to facilitate staff and inmates, inadequate accommodation for officers, high staff attrition due to poor conditions of Service, inadequate industrial infrastructure and equipment for inmates’ rehabilitation, inadequate machinery and resources for large scale mechanized farming and lack of hospital for inmates and officers. She said that their three year strategic plan for 2025, 2026 and 2027 includes increasing capacity to meet the needs of the service, to provide safe and secured custody and welfare of inmates, and to complement government effort in providing food to inmates and train inmates to become farmers, among others.