Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

August 6, 2021

Sierra Leone: abolition of death penalty a major victory

News

Africa Death penalty Sierra Leone

Parliament voted on 23 July to abolish the death penalty in Sierra Leone

May 6, 2020

Sierra Leone: riot breaks out in coronavirus-struck prison

News

Africa Coronavirus Health Protest Sierra Leone

Reports of casualties after riot at Pademba Road Prison in Freetown, where a COVID-19 case was earlier confirmed.

October 21, 2018

Sierra Leone : doing time in "Hell"

News

Africa Sierra Leone

A shaft of light penetrates the foul air through a fist-sized vent. It reveals naked, sweating bodies packed side-by-side like sardines, lying in darkness on a greasy concrete floor. The stench of urine and excreta from a brimming plastic bucket – just one for a cell containing perhaps 20 people –…

September 29, 2017

Sierra Leone: "I didn't mean to plead guilty"

News

Africa Sierra Leone

“Miriam” grew up in Sierra Leone and didn’t go to school. As an adult, she struggled to read and write. When she was arrested for loitering, she misunderstood the offence and found herself in prison.

May 3, 2017

Sierra Leone: "I came away convinced that many of them know that they will die in the most inhumane prison in the world, despite their young age"

News

Africa Torture Sierra Leone

Alberto López is a Spanish journalist at the Department of Communication of the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid. A few days ago he visited one of the most inhumane prisons in the world in order to prepare for a documentary on the work of the Salesians with the most disadvantaged young people of…

April 25, 2017

Breaking the circle

Portfolio

Minors Rehabilitation Sierra Leone

Minors released from prison have no access to reentry programs. Some go back to the streets and try to survive; others receive support from various organisations.

April 20, 2017

Waiting for justice

Portfolio

Africa Pre-trial detention Minors Justice Overcrowding Sierra Leone

Children are incarcerated illegally in the maximum security prison of Pademba, in Sierra Leone. Fernando Moleres shares with us the daily lives of the minors in the Prison of Freetown.

April 1, 2017

Sierra Leone: no transport for prisoners delays justice

News

Africa Sierra Leone

Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, “No one shall be subject to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.” However, the lack of prisoner transport trucks in 14 out of 19 Correctional Centres tends to violate that provision.

March 16, 2017

Sierra Leone: justice for women who kill

News

Africa Women Sierra Leone

Aminata* was only 17 years old when she was arrested for killing her former boyfriend eight years ago. She was sentenced to death for murder in November 2010 and feared each day she would be executed before her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the government on Sierra Leone’s 50th Inde…

January 23, 2017

Sierra Leone: a library for Pademba Road Prison

News

Africa Culture Sierra Leone

Well, it has taken 7 years, but today I am happy to say that I have finally delivered on the promises I made so rashly back in 2010.

January 13, 2017

Conditions in detention: EU supports Prison Watch Sierra Leone with €284,000 towards monitoring and legal aid

News

Material conditions Sierra Leone

On 13 January 2017 the project “Monitoring Access to Justice and Protecting Human Rights through Legal Aid Representation in Places of Detention”, implemented by Prison Watch Sierra Leone and with a budget of €284,000 over 24 months funded by the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone through th…

November 2, 2016

Sierra Leone: "Your name is John Bosco? With that name you should not be in prison."

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Africa Sierra Leone

Two years ago the World Health Organization declared that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was over. The epidemic caused about 4,000 deaths and over 14,000 cases of infection.

August 16, 2016

Sierra Leone : prison reforms bring no relief

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Africa Sierra Leone

Recent reforms to Sierra Leone’s prison system have failed to bring much meaningful improvement, according to an IWPR investigation. Official figures show that the current inmate population stands nationally at 3,184, even though the system only has capacity for 1,785.

April 29, 2016

The forgotten child prisoners of Sierra Leone

News

Africa Sierra Leone

Child inmates are left to languish in prison with no visitors or legal assistance as many wait years for a trial. Sorie’s last day of freedom was a few weeks before his 14th birthday, when the well-to-do father of a girl he liked got word that his daughter had been hanging around with a street boy.

February 9, 2016

Sierra Leone : DIGNITY is pushing for positive changes in prisons

News

Africa Sierra Leone

DIGNITY and local partner Prison Watch ensures political commitment to ambitious revision of prison legislation in Sierra Leone. It has been 55 years since the last revision of prison rules in the West African country, but over the past few years the prison authorities – now known as Correctional S…

February 9, 2016

Sierra Leone: a horror story from court and prison

News

Africa Sierra Leone

If you are a good Christian or Muslim, or, humanist, a chill would run through your body, you would shed tears at this.

January 20, 2016

Prison ministry transforms lives in Sierra Leone

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Africa Sierra Leone

Prisoners in Sierra Leone have received Christ, been baptized and even been released thanks to a thriving United Methodist prison ministry.

May 25, 2015

Sierra Leone's prisons: tough, but Ebola-free

News

Africa Health Sierra Leone

Central Freetown’s maximum-security prison was built to house just 324. Today, over 1400 inmates are crammed between its walls.