By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The Sierra Leone Correctional Service (SLCS) has developed a project proposal on large-scale mechanized farming that will help provide food to feed inmates and the public thereby reducing monies spent on food items, according to its officials.
Explaining the revenue mobilization during the Ministry of Finance Bilateral Budget Discussion on the 19th of August 2024, the Director of Support Services at SLCS, Susan B. Coker noted that the Correctional Service annual spending on inmates’ welfare which includes diet, medical etc. ranges from NLE 100-130 million. She stated that they have adequate manpower of both inmates and correctional staff, to provide labour for farming on an earning scheme basis.
She said that there is an existing service-level agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture for large-scale farming and training of inmates in agriculture. “The service being endowed with adequate farmlands and labour, accessing funding and input support from government will enable the department to play succinct roles in food production that will directly reduce government spending on diet,” she said.
Coker said that the SLCS used to produce furniture on a large scale for sale but was disrupted following the attempted jailbreak in 2020 which led to the burning down of equipment and buildings. She said the service has been producing different kinds of soap, bread, weaved clothing, and locally made shoes amongst others on a small scale which they intend to expand.
“The Service has developed a project proposal for funding to enable us to purchase the required equipment for Bread baking, Soap Making, Tailoring, Carpentry, masonry, Welding, Upholstery, Gara-tie-dyeing and Bead making. This is in line with the Reformation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of inmates,” she said.
She stated that products made by inmates will be sold to the public and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) which will serve as revenue generation for the service and inmates under an earning scheme, with part of the revenue generated from sales of products to be deposited into the Consolidated Fund.
Explaining the challenges faced by the Service in 2024, the SLCS Director of Support Services said that there is severe overcrowding in all centres especially the one for male inmates in Freetown Male, and those in Bo , Makeni and Kenema. She also expressed concern over the low staff-to-inmate ratio, insufficient vehicles to facilitate staff and inmate affairs and the lack of hospitals for inmates and officers.
She however highlighted key interventions of the SLCS like the deployment of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and Sierra Leone Police (RSLAF) Technical Support Team (TST) to strengthen security, the construction of additional blocks at Moyamba, Waterloo, Karene and Falaba to reduce overcrowding, refurbishment of the training school and construction of perimeter fence around Kono and Kailahun correctional facilities.
She submitted a budget estimate of NLE 193,150,300.00 (one hundred and ninety-three million, one hundred and fifty thousand, three hundred thousand New Leones) pending approval by the Ministry of Finance.
SLCSs exists as part of an integrated justice system to protect society by keeping inmates in secure and humane conditions whilst encouraging and actively assisting in their rehabilitation and reintegration.
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