-Judge Gbeneweleh also raises concern about prisoners’ health condition
By Garmah Never Lomo,,garmahlomo@gmail.com
Not much has changed regarding overcrowdedness and other conditions at prisons in Liberia, including the Monrovia Central Prison.
The presiding Judge of Criminal Court C at the Temple of Justice Judge Peter W. Gbeneweleh has said the overcrowdedness of the Monrovia Central Prison in the Liberian capital is causing serious health hazard at the prison facility.
The Judge’s assertion is contained in his charge delivered during the opening of the May Term of Court recently.
“Equipping the Justice Sector in Enhancing the Rule of Law in Liberia,” was the theme of his charge.
In its 2018 Human Rights Report, the US State Department highlighted the poor conditions of the Monrovia Central Prison and other prisons around the country, stressing the need for the authorities to give it urgent attention.
“Gross overcrowding continued to be a problem,” the US State Department said. It was reported that the prison population in the country was almost twice the planned capacity.
In seven of the 16 prison and detention facilities, the detention figures were 100 to 450 percent more than planned capacity.
In addition to the overcrowdedness is the deplorable health conditions of inmates in Liberian prisons, the report says.
“Prison and Detention Center Conditions Prison conditions were harsh and at times life threatening due to overcrowding, failing infrastructure, and inadequate medical care,” according to the 2018 US State Department Human Rights report.
In delivering his charge recently, Criminal Court ‘C’Judge Gbeneweleh said that pre-trial detainees across Liberia is a major challenge for both the Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary, because some cases has been on file over two or three years without been heard.
He said if some of those cases are heard based on the determination to release or convict detainees, the issues of health hazard will never exist in the prison center.
The Criminal court ‘C’ judge added that ‘it is unimaginable when you put group a of people together in one place, how terrible it can be adding that
diseases will transmit from one persons to another.’
Judge Gbeneweleh revealed that they hope that the government in the near future will build a modern prison facility in Montserrado County and other prison facilities across Liberia.
The Criminal Court ‘C’ Judge’s charge covered the three components of the criminal justice system–the police, courts and the Bureau of correction with their functions.
He the police primarily protects lives and properties, made arrest, interrogates and forwards a suspect to court within forty-eight hours in keeping with Article 21(f) of the Liberian constitution.
While the courts which is the second component of the criminal justice system, then, issues the appropriate Writ, charging an accused for the commission of an offense; the court also hearts and determines a matter consistent with due process of law as provided in Article 20(a) of the 1986 Constitution.
Responding to Judge Gbeneweleh’s charge, Liberia’s Solicitor General Darku Mulbah said Liberia has been faced with many challenging and how can these challenges be solved.
Cllr. Mulbah added that the justice sector has not been empowered to perform the task of the Justice sector adding that the challenges on them along with the judges.
The Solicitor General disclosed the issue of pre-trial detainees is a serious problem that is confronting the justice system, and that the Ministry of Justice is putting measures in place to solve the problem.
Cllr. Mulbah said that the issue of dispensing justice is a collective effort that depends on everyone.
He called on lawyers and Judges to be brave and have no fear in dispensing justice.