-As Liberia’s prisons have 63% pre-trial detainees
By Mass Kanneh, masskanneh4@gmail.com
Despite the overcrowded Prison facilities in Liberia, Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation (BCR) of the Minister of Justice (MOJ) and development Partners are striving to create programs that would seek to transform the lives of inmates.
Last week, BCR in collaboration with United Nations Development Funds (UNDP) launched the Inmates Rehabilitation program, attended by several stakeholders in the Justice sector.
During the official Launch of the program, Justice Minister Frank Musah Dean embraced the idea of such program but also pleaded with development Partners to help in supporting the construction of a Corrections Palace to help decongest the Monrovia Central Prison and other Prisons around the Country.
Minister Dean highlighted the essence that Rehabilitation programs would seek to make Inmates more marketable for society upon completion of Sentence.
However, he is concern that the Prison Facility for accommodations of inmates has become one of the major challenges for the Ministry of Justice.
Adding the Criminal Justice system or prisons are not meant to place people away, or for punishment but should aimed at rehabilitating Prisoners to make them serviceable to the Society.
Said Minister Dean “We are glad today to be launching this rehabilitations program and we hope the inmates with take advance of it. We learn we have situations of the congestion of prison facility, that is true.” .
He noted Monrovia Central Prison facility was built to accommodate only Three Hundred Inmates, now intake more than One Thousand Three Hundred Prisoners.
He said though there budgetary constraints on the Justice Minisry. But the Ministry will strive to kickstart a New Correction Palace for some forty acres of Land acquired in Cheesemanbury, with the continuous support of Donor Partners.
“Now have more 1360, these facilities were built for 300 Persons. We need a new prison, we don’t want to throw that on the lap of our Partner, but if they can meet us half ways, will be good for us. We can have a Correction palace like we have in developed Countries” said Minister Dean.
Assistant Minister Tarawalli
For Assistant Minister of Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation, Eddie Tarawalli’ he raised BCR’s concern of reducing the statistics on habitual offenders.
Said Assistant Minister Tarawalli “Our focus is to reduce the percentage of recidivists” he said
He also noted to have a reduce number in Habitual offenders, there must be rehabilitation programs that will help transform the inmates into better persons in Society.
He said with the help of development Partners, BCR hopes for the program to be decentralized into the fifteen sub division of Liberia.
Minister Tarawalli noted the rehabilitation program with also help capacitate Inmates in various skills of Tailoring, Soap Making and other vocational trainings.
“We want our inmates to be able to produce our Army uniforms, Police and Public Schools and that said act will help subsidize the Prisons on self-supported initiative to ease burden on Government,” he said.
Easing burden on Police
Also speaking at the program Deputy Police Chief Sadatu Reeves said the rehabilitation program will help ease burden on the Liberia National Police.
She said most of the crimes committed are perpetrated by habitual offenders and such program with reduce Police work.who are constantly arrested by the Liberia National Police.
UNDP
According to the UNDP Project Coordinator, Rowland Cole, he believes less attention is given the Correction sector.
According to Mr. Cole, in the Liberia criminal justice system, they are all aware that the Prison or correction is usually the forgotten link, it terms of allocations.
“In time of Justice chain, if any of the Institution is left unattended it affect the entire Chain” he said Sending people to prisons there are four cardinal components, Retribution, Deterrence, Incapacitation and Rehabilitation,” he added.
He lamented that Of the Justice chain, the key component is the rehabilitation aspect.
According to Mr. Cole, due to the lack of Vocational skills, Prisoners are released and go back to society and go back doing the same criminal acts that landed them in jail.
“This is what makes this program important and we hope it continues.
The program should not only be about soap Making but also tracking” Cole noted
He recommended the BCR to have a tracking system of those who have been Rehabilitated and reintegrated into Society.
The tracking of how they have adjusted in society, in term of Job and altitude wise.
The UNDP Project Coordinator disclosed that the series of such programs have been launched in other countries they have proven very successful with the tracking process.
Head of Development, Swedish Embassy
For her part, the,Head of Development at the Swedish Embassy in Liberia, Elisabeth Harleman warned that Correction facilities should not be meant to break people down through Punishment and Isolation, but rather build them by providing Vocational skills.
“Correction Facilities are meant to hinder people from committing New Crimes upon their released” she said.
Since Correctional facilities should not be meant for punishment, Ms. Harleman said more attention must be given to restoring People, in order to reintegrate them into Society and providing Psychosocial support and Vocational Training.
However, she is more concerned about the Human rights rights issue in Prison facilities.
In as much the Swedish Government said it is committed to strengthening Liberia Justice and Security sector, through capacity building at grassroots levels to ensure access to Justice, but wants MOJ to concentrate on rights of pretrial detention.
Ms. Harleman provided statistics of more than 60 percent of percent of inmates in Liberia prisons are Pretrial detainees.
She told the body that most of the individuals in Prisons for several Years without access to Trial, even beyond their would be punishment for their alleged Crimes.
Said Harleman, “the current high level of Pre-trial detention seriously undermines Justice and Human rights.”
She said as the result of the increased numbers in Pre-trial detainees, Sentenced inmates have to shared same cells or sometimes no rooms to separate Men, Women and Juvenile Prisoners.
She welcomed the Migistrate program that seeks to reduce pre-trial detention to the current 63% to 20%, but urged key justice sector and Human rights group to double up.
The program worth US$ 60,000 and is gear towards soap making and Tailoring for inmates.