People living in imprisonment are a vulnerable group that need just as much considerable support as any other group, more so during health emergencies. As the Corona Virus pandemic continues to spread worldwide, Sierra Leone fell victim and recorded its first case on March 31, 2020 and the figures for confirmed cases are slowly building up as testing and surveillance measures intensify. Since then, life in general has been altered to suit the elusive nature of the killer disease.
Accordingly, the Sierra Leone Correctional Services (SLCS) had to adopt drastic changes to protect staff and inmates. Part of the changes included suspending until further notice visitations from relatives and friends of inmates.
The news of the suspension of visitations aroused fear, concern and then tension among the inmates according to Mr. Lamboi, Director General of SLCS. Accordingly, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stepped in to support SLCS towards the situation by procuring 40 mobile phones with three months pre-paid subscription (subject to extension based on the situation) so that inmates can keep in touch with their relatives and friends and even access to vital services such as medical support.
The phones will be distributed to each of the 22 correctional facilities with the most crowded and larger ones such as Pademba Road and Mafanta getting at least three (3). Inmates will be allowed to make up to three calls every week for a total of 15 minutes. This timing is flexible for persons accessing medical and or legal services via the phones.
While in other countries Phone and phone calls between inmates and relatives are an everyday facility, they have not been part of SLCS’ provisions to inmates given the meagre resources available have to be channeled to the most basic priority needs such health, food, water and sanitation which are not even enough for the high number of people in incarceration.
Apart from inmates using the phones, Correctional Staff and Officers will be able to communicate among themselves on work related issues as the phones have been configured with a ‘user-group’ intercom function.
“The phones come in timely in order to maintain stability and avert the tensions that have built up due to the suspension of visitation. The inmates are worried about their children, their wives, parents and all those they love. Since they are locked away from the outside world, they panic not knowing exactly what is happening and the pandemic has bred so much fear in them. Worry and fear among inmates can culminate into something we would not want. It is therefore important that they stay in touch with their relatives. This is a thoughtful act from UNDP for which we are grateful” said Joseph Lamboi, Director General of Sierra Leone Correctional Services who pledged to ensure continuous sustainability of the phones after COVID-19 and UNDP’s support.
The provision of the phone services is just one of the COVID-19 response activities UNDP is supporting SLCS with. Due to the over-population in the correctional facilities in Sierra Leone as it is in most prisons world-wide, preventative measures being advocated for to minimize chances of contracting COVID-19 particularly “…maintaining social distance is just impossible” Mr. Lamboi added. Considering this, UNDP will be refurbishing water and sanitation facilities in the most crowded of Sierra Leone’s prisons and provide hygiene kits which include hand washing detergents and sanitizers to all correctional centers.
During the Ebola outbreak in 2014 to 2015, UNDP also worked round-the-clock to help prevent the spread of Ebola into the Correctional Centers. UNDP supported the establishment of isolation and holding units in all correctional centers for sick inmates and newly admitted inmates besides other measures that saw the prisons register zero cases throughout the epidemic. Similarly, UNDP will refurbish these isolation and holding units to separate new inmates for a period of 14 days which is the WHO recommended days for assessment of possible symptoms, before allowing them to join the rest.
UNDP’s support to the Sierra Leone Correctional Services is a long-standing support through the Rule of Law Project, in its good Governance programme.
“Our support to SLCS during this COVID-19 pandemic is a continuation that work which is our commitment to achieving SDG16-to build Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions in Sierra Leone” said Walter Neba, UNDP Rule of Law Specialist and Project Manager ‘From Prisons to Corrections’.
Source: UNDP-Sierra Leone
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