By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Ministry of Internal Affairs last week concluded a joint regional tour to assess correctional centres in the Eastern Region of Sierra Leone.
The assessment team, which was headed by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Lahai Lawrence Leema, included officials of the Sierra Leone Correctional Services and those of other security apparatus.
In an interview with Politico, Mr Leema said that the idea of the assessment of the correctional facilities stemmed from the “attempted prison break” at the Pandema Road Correctional Center in Freetown earlier this year. He said that President Julius Maada Bio wanted to decongest correctional facilities across the country.
According to the deputy minister, the assessment process was designed to look into the welfare of prisoners and the issues bordering on the rights of inmates.
"Government will not do any tangible face-lifting activity without assessment,” the minister said in the interview in Kenema, shortly after the assessment tour had ended.
"After completing this assessment, a comprehensive report will be made for government’s attention. The report will be analyzed before making it known to the public," Leema added.
He further explained that the assessment team was divided into two: one headed by the Minister of Internal Affairs touring the north and northwestern region of the country, while the second headed by himself which is covering the south and eastern regions.
Leema said his delegation was impressed with the situation at the Kenema Correctional Centre. He however urged the officials in charge of the correctional centers to be professional in the execution of their work.
The Eastern Regional Commander, Sierra Leone Correctional Services, Momodu Sillah, commended the delegation, noting that from time to time such visits are necessary as they can help them to evaluate their performance.
"The coming of this team is important for us as it will enable us to know the successes and challenges at the various facilities. By conducting interviews with inmates, we can tell how the centers are being run,” he said.
Silla however said that they were under-staffed, noting that as the government prepares to recruit more personnel for the correctional services, he would recommend focus on quality, rather than quality.
“Quality personnel tells a lot about service delivery in the correctional centers,” he said, adding: “As a region, one of the challenges we are faced with is lack of mobility. The truck we use to transport both inmates and supplies for personnel is old; it’s over twelve years now. Every trip we make we have to conduct some repairs on the vehicle, and that’s not cost effective.”
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