By Jacqueline L. Dennis
The overcrowdings at the Monrovia Central Prison commonly known as South Beach seems to trouble the Vice President of Liberia and President of the Senate, Jewel Howard Taylor indicating that the prison is in a deplorable situation, and that the prison was built for only 375 prisoners, but today there are more than 1,500 inmates.
VP Taylor made the statement last Monday January 16, on the commencement of the Six regular sessions of the Senate at the Capitol building in Monrovia informing that August body that during her visit on the holidays at the prison recently she was informed there are a little over 1,500 prisoners, and the issue of pre-trial has swept the prison population across the nation as a result of simple issue that should resolved at the Magisterial Courts but the Magistrate send people to jail who have been there for years for either debt issues or simple matters.
“They also compliant that most of time their budgetary allocation are not given so they have to credit rice every month for food, there are no hospitals that care for prisoners and I hope you will go and visit and see for yourself what is actually happening” she told the Senate.
She said even if someone is in prison they have or responsible rights under the human rights pre- verse to insure that they are in a good environment that is safe and secure.
She said, “I hope the Security sector committee in the Senate will begin to look at it carefully”.
She stressed that, the is a need that they build additional prison or maybe for short gap will be to insure that the prison in Zwedru, the Corrections Palace to be renovated so that those who sentenced can be moved to other areas to provide space at the central prison.
It can be recalled in 2022, it was reported that the Liberia Central Prison, South Beach were overcrowded and the prison facilities were no longer taking inmates, something that is terrible, including the lack of food and medication that led to some inmates’ illness.
When contracted the Assistant Justice Minister for Corrections and Rehabilitation, Eddie Tarawali told reporters that the information about death at the facility is far from the truth but admitted the facility is overcrowded.
He said due to the overcrowdings of the prison they were not accepting any inmates until they can decongest the facility so they are working with the court to ensure they can proceed with fast tracking of Magistrate.
