PHOTO: (right) Rev. Kollie presenting food relief being provided to the Monrovia Central Prison
By Our Reporter
The Country Director of the Prison Fellowship Liberia has expressed disappointment on the reluctant of President George Weah to use his constitutional power to grant executive clemency to some of the inmates in the wake of shortage of food and overcrowded in prisons in Liberia.
His assertion comes in the wake of over-crowdedness at the Monrovia Central Prison and other correction centers around Liberia that has reached crisis proportion, in addition to the facilities running out of food.
At the Monrovia Central Prison, which was built for over 300 people but now well over 1,300 inmates, has seen prisoners going hungry along with others across the country in recent weeks.
Prison Fellowship Director, Reverend Francis Kollie said the denying of food to inmates who are detained under inhumane conditions at the various prisons due to failure on the part of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to release findings constitutes the violations of their rights.
Rev. Kollie addressing Journalist
Addressing a press conference marking the release annual report of the Prison Fellowship Liberia in Monrovia this week, Rev. Kollie pointed out that delay of the government to feed the inmates is a state violation of the human rights of citizens who are in conflict with the law.
Reverend Kollie appealed to Finance Minister Samuel Tweah to accelerate the process of the document aimed at securing food for the inmates who have been experiencing food shortage few weeks now.
The Prison Fellowship Liberia Country Director said detaining a large number of inmates is simply sending its prison population to their early graves
He stressed the need for the government to privatize the prison system in Liberia in order to reduce the burden of medication, food and over crowdedness in prisons in the country.
Meanwhile, the Prison Fellowship Liberia has presented 35 of the 25 kg bags of rice five tin of vegetable oil and 20,000 Liberian Dollars to the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice purposely to feed inmates at the various prisons
Speaking during the presentation ceremony, the fellowship’s County Director, Reverend Francis Kollie disclosed that the donation of rice, oil and cash is his institution’s way of identifying with the inmates in these critical times.
The Prison Fellowship Liberia Country Director assured the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice of his institution’s fullest cooperation in meeting the needs of inmates at the various prisons in Liberia
Receiving the items on behalf of the Justice Ministry, the Director Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Reverend Sainieseh Kwadah, called on the legislature to increase the allotment for prisons in Liberia.
According to him, the allotment for prisons by the legislature is only intended to feed the inmates, which is not enough, because there is no money for medication, uniforms for inmates and the prison wards.
The Director of the Bureau of Prisons and Rehabilitation maintained that the government currently owes vendors three months for the supply of food.
Liberia is currently having the prison population of a little over 3,500 inmates most of whom are pre-trial detainees some of whom have stayed behind bars for more than the stipulated time if they were be tried and sentenced.