'Our Goal Is to Decongest The Correctional Centres'
...Acting Director General
By Mohamed Konneh
The Acting Director General of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, Brigadier General, Sheikh Sulaiman Massaquoi, has said the current construction work on Correctional facilities across the country is aimed at decongesting the centres.
He said the goal of the ongoing work is geared towards reducing overcrowding as most of the centres cannot accommodate the number of inmates within.
Brigadier General, Sheikh Sulaiman Massaquoi was speaking in Moyamba on Friday 19th July 2024 during a conducted tour of facilities under construction.
Brigadier General Massaquoi noted that after the completion of the various construction work, the centres holding inmates will be decongested, especially Pademba Road which holds more than the capacity it was built for.
He said the Sierra Leone Correctional Service has been grappling with overcrowding for the longest of time, and that this is a major challenge for the Correctional Service and the need for this investment.
“I and the team on this tour are very pleased with the kind of work we have seen so far. The various construction work is progressing well and with the monitoring exercise that is done frequently, we now know that the contractors are doing a very good work,” he said.
Btrigadier General Massaquoi said these development will reform, rehabilitate and reintegrate inmates into society.
The Acting Director General thanked President Julius Maada Bio and the government of Sierra Leone for funding the venture, especially at a time like this when the government has so many competing priority needs.
The new buildings coming up in Moyamba District comprise separate facilities for both the male and female inmates.
The Moyamba building that is constructed by the Mapy Construction Company is now at an advanced stage, with both buildings being constructed simultaneously.
Mapy Construction Company site engineer Manasseh Mansaray, while briefing the team, said the Moyamba female facility under construction after completion will hold up to fifty inmates at a go.
He said the male facility will also hold up to three hundred inmates after completion
Mr. Mansaray said the structures have a ground beam, bigger and stronger, and in the event the management wants to do additional stairs, the foundation is strong enough to hold one or two more.
"These structures also have an intermittent beam and that the building comprises modern toilet facilities befitting the status of a standard correctional centre within the sub-region,” he said.
Mr. Mansaray also noted that the facility, after completion, will have a tailoring department, upholstery, carpentry, and shoe making facilities that will transform the lives of inmates.
The Assistant Director of the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre, Susan Baby Coker, speaking in Kailahun during the tour, said the prison is now correction and the reason for these reforms.
"These reforms are key to the furtherance of the Correctional Service, and we as officers are very happy to see these massive reforms taking place under our watch. With God by our side, we will make sure this work is completed within the stipulated time," she said.
Madam Koker noted that the aim of the various constructions are in three folds, and they include decongesting the centres, improving the living standard of inmates, and adhering to the rights of the inmates
“With all of these reforms, we are also taking into consideration the Mandela rules of safe standard for inmates and the Bangkok protocols of keeping inmates in an environment that is conducive, safe and protecting the rights of inmates, she said.
In Kailahun, the management of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service is constructing a huge second fence, bigger and stronger, that guaranties the security of both inmates and correctional officers. The massive work on both the facility in Moyamba and that of Kailahun is a major step towards decongesting the centres as the ongoing work is hoping to be completed by March of 2025.
The ongoing constructions work accordingly is fully funded by the government of Sierra Leone, with local contractors doing a marvelous job.
