By Emmanuel Mafelah,mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
Gbarnga, Liberia- Inmates detained at the Gbarnga Central Prison in Bong County have expressed complete frustration and indignation over the over Crowdedness of the prison facility.
Bong County is situated in central Liberia, with its capital city, Gbarnga located 165 miles (103km) from Monrovia.
The Gbarnga Central Prison is meant for only one hundred and thirty prisoners, but they currently have over three hundred prisoners at the center, according to the County Attorney, , Jonathan N. Flomo.
Some of the inmates told www.newspublictrust.com from behind bars that the over crowdedness of the prison is causing serious strain to them, adding that they no longer have sufficient standing or sitting area in the cramped cells.
They said even though they do not expect the prison to be comfortable like their homes, they should be little bit satisfied because the prison centers are also meant for rehabilitation.
“We are facing major problems here; we urinate and do everything here. We are surviving by the grace of God, I don’t think any human being can survive here,” John Kesselle, one of the inmates, age 30 said.
Kesselle, who has been locked up for four years, is facing a charge of robbery with violence –a capital offence.
“Because of congestion, people here sleep pressed body to body and this body contact leads to these to many of encountering lots of sicknesses,” Mr. Kesselle adds.
According to him, their only fear at the moment is sickness adding that some of their colleagues currently have some unknown sicknesses which they might encounter as a result of the body contacts.
Also speaking on behalf of their colleagues, John Bokoh commonly known as “Double Trouble” stressed the need for the government to transfer them to the Grand Gedeh prison, instead being kept in a very tiny cell here.
Mr. Boko, is serving twenty years of imprisonment for rape, stated that the over crowdedness of the Gbarnga Prison center seriously threatens their lives.
He wants the government of Liberia through the Ministry of Justice to quickly intervene to bring redress to them.
At the same time, one of the Rehabilitation Officers (who requested anonymity) claims that the Gbarnga central prison is the worst congested prison in the Country.
He confesses that the situation is even making their jobs harder.
Pointing to one of the cells, the Prison guard said “this cell is meant for only three persons, but they are currently nine in there as a result of the huge numbers of inmates.”
The Head of the Gbarnga Central Prison, Madam Janeh Mulbah, who refused to speak for long with Journalists,n horridly summed the frustrations shared by the prison staff and prisoners alike.
According to her, the story is the same everywhere in Liberian jails. She attributed the over crowdedness of the prison to the delay in follow up cases for adjudication.
When contacted on the inmates’ concerns, Bong County Attorney, Jonathan N. Flomo said he has concluded talks with the Ministry of Justice to ensure the transfer of long-term convicts from Gbarnga to the Zwedru Correction Palace in Grand Gedeh County, southeastern Liberia.
He wants the Inmates to remain calm as the Ministry looks forward to battling the over crowdedness of the Gbarnga Central Prison.