PHOTO: L-R Renovated prison library and Rev. Francis Kollie presenting the keys to Prison Director
The Prison Fellowship Liberia has appealed to the United Nation Development Program, the United States Embassy and other international partners for assistance to help improve the prison condition throughout the country.
The fellowship’s Country Director, Reverend Francis Kollie, said there are multiple challenges facing the Liberian prison system.
Rev. Kollie when he officially handed over the keys of the newly renovated library, records room and warehouse by the Prison Fellowship Liberia in partnership with Logos Hope to the Ministry of Justice in Monrovia.
According to him, the Prison Fellowship Liberia will continue to buttress efforts by the Liberian government and the international to improve the conditions in the prison system to meet international standards.
Inside the prison renovated library
The PFL Country Director noted that there are still multiple of challenges such as the lack of adequate prison rehabilitation programs, overcrowding of prisons, food storages, the lack of adequate medical facilities and supplies, sufficient space to accommodate prisoners and detainees in the 16 prisons it is currently operating now.
“Most of the detention facilities are not human rights and rehabilitation friendly due to the less support to the prison institutions in Liberia,” he said; adding: “it is against the backdrop that the PFL continues to seek assistance from friendly partners including the United Nations agencies, embassies and other humanitarian organizations such as Logos Hope International who partnered with the PFL to carry renovation of these facilities.”
“They provided partial funding about 45 percent while the PFL provided 55 percent of funding and materials to get this job done.”
“It is our hope and aspiration that our efforts in providing decent prison conditions will add value and improve our human rights records that have been tinted over the years especially prisoners’ rights as we all are aware of this fact.”
Reverend Kollie appealed that the reconstruction of Harper Prison is vital to restoring prison dignities in Liberia’s judicial reforms.
“To the Liberian government,” the PFL Country Director went on, “ we want to remind the Justice Ministry that we are still waiting the release of 500 prisoners out of our detention and prison centers as mandated by President George Weah because we think that the delay is creating lot uncertainties in the minds of prisoners across the country.”
“The last two years with support from the UNDP, UN Women , UNICEF and OSIWA and others , we have provided legal assistance to over 3,000 prisoners who came in contact and conflict with the law and rehabilitated over 500 prisoners across the country.”
Receiving the keys , the Director of Prison at the Ministry of Justice Rev. Samuel Kwaida, disclosed that the Bureau of Corrections at the Ministry of Justice has begin the selection of the names of inmates who will qualified for the executive clemency granted by President George Weah recently.
According to him, Liberia’s prison system has about 800 convicted inmates and the executive clemency cannot be extended to pre-trail detainees
He cautioned the Superintendent of the Monrovia Central Prison to be appreciative of the gesture of the Prison Fellowship Liberia by maintaining the facilities.
Reverend Kwaida assured the Country Director of PFL that the facilities will be used for their intended purposes.
The Director of Prison at the Justice Ministry described the PFL as a true humanitarian organization because it does not just criticize but also provide logistics and materials in solving the problems
Also speaking, the Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution Program at the Ministry of Justice , Gobah Anderson, said since the establishment of his department , the PFL is the first and only institution has donated the department.
The library and the record room have been provided about 2,000 books and furniture for use by the inmates, officers of the Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice among others.
The program was graced by senior staff of Prison Fellowship Liberia, Colonel Varney Lake, Superintendent of the Monrovia Central Prison, among others.
Over 10,000 United States Dollars was spent in renovating the library, the record room and the warehouse of the Monrovia Central Prison.