By Francis H. Murray
Campaigners in Sierra Leone have called for reforms of the prison system, with particular focus on the Pademba Road Correctional Center, following the release of a report on the deadly prison riot in April.
The report done by the Sierra Leone Correctional Services (SLCS), which was released last week, revealed that a total of 31 people died as a result of the riot. One of the dead is said to be a corrections officer.
Twelve of them reportedly died from gunshot wounds, whiles 16 died from blunt force and two from illness. Officials also say that 32 Corrections Officers as well as 21 inmates sustained injuries.
The report revealed that 24 of the dead are still in the morgue waiting for identification, while six were already buried.
AdvocAid and the Center for Accountability and the Rule of Law, two leading rights advocacy groups, have jointly call on the government to institute measures geared towards decongesting the prison facility and combating the spread of COVID-19 , one of the issues that came out strongly in the report by the prison authorities.
‘‘Detainees and Officers are faced with an unprecedented risk to their health, in overcrowded and unsanitary facilities, which is creating serious security issues and breaches of basic human rights. The uncontrolled transmission of COVID-19 within correctional centers places the lives of prisoners and staff at risk, as well as those in the wider community,’’ the two groups noted in a joint press release.
They called on the government to release pregnant women and women with children in detention, elderly prisoners or those with underlying health issues, as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID- 19.
The advocacy groups also demanded that the government publishes plans for slowing and stopping the spread of COVID-19 in all detention centers, and to establish screening facilities for individuals entering and for those being released, and for external monitoring of compliance by independent observers.
According to the SLCS, the riot was caused by a number of factors, ranging from overcrowding, suspension of court sittings and shortage of staff, among others. The shortage of staff was blamed on the moratorium on recruitment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘‘Overcrowding; Pademba Road Correctional Centre houses all categories of inmates (especially high risk); On that day, there were 1, 300 inmates (400% overcrowding), in a centre built to hold 324 inmates; Staff shortage (40% under strength); Covid-19 outbreak prevented recruitment, which was in the pipeline; Index Covid-19 case led to drastic measures instituted that restricted movement within the facility; Suspension of court sittings; Closure of the tuck shop,’’ the report states in part.
Pademba Road, as the maximum security prison is popularly known, was built as a male correctional center under colonial rule.
‘‘Inmates damaged workshop doors and set stores and some other buildings on fire; held some officers hostage, and pelted stones at officers; rival inmate groups within the centre clashed and wreaked havoc on themselves; OSD personnel initially fired teargas into the centre to restore calm, but failed; armed personnel forced their way in and used reasonable force to restore calm,’’ the report added as it described the scene during the riot.
The correctional authorities estimated the total cost of the damage caused by the riot at Le 20billion.
In their report, the prison authorities recommended that the government build a riot command post and ensure that psychosocial support is provided to inmates and all other affected parties. It also recognized the need for reforms through “a multi- sectorial engagement.”
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