The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board Sierra Leone, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles has commended the Sierra Leone government over the new 110 Capacity (100 Male, 10 females) Pretrial Detention and Simulation Center in Kissi Town, Waterloo.
The Director made this commendation while her team was inspecting the facility will host remand inmates and those below the prison sentence of three (3) years by the Magistrate Court in Waterloo.
“I am impressed with what I have seen so far; the fencing, cleanliness, serenity of the environment, number of inmates per cell and the paintings,” she said while the team inspected the various cells, beddings, toilets, kitchen and sanitary conditions.
However, Mrs. Carlton-Hanciles suggested that a wall should be erected to separate the female and male inmates. She also added the facility will need a clinic to treat minor ailments. She further suggested that the compound comprising the Pretrial Detention and Simulation Center and the Training facility should be fenced to put a stop to ongoing encroachment and grabbing of the land while commenting that there is need for a guard post to ensure the compound is not used as a thoroughfare.
Prior to the tour, the team had a meeting with the leadership of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service including the Director General, Mr. Joseph Lamboi and deputy, Dennis Harman. Ms. Carlton-Hanciles welcomed the new facility which she noted will reduce the overcrowding at the Pademba Road Correctional Center.
“Waterloo has a high crime rate and this is largely responsible for the overcrowding we see at the Pademba Road Correctional Center,” she said.
She called on the leadership to provide rehabilitation opportunities for the inmates which will ensure their smooth reintegration into society upon serving their sentences.
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