In theory, persons in pre-trial detention must be placed in individual cells, and those who have been sentenced, in shared cells. In practice, shared imprisonment prevails for all categories of prisoners.

Inmates are housed in dormitories, including those in recently built facilities. They sometimes sleep two or three per square meter.

The allocation of space in the dormitory depends on the seniority of the prisoners. Those with the longest sentences have access to some bunk beds with TV and radio. Prisoners call this form of detention “Hotel.” The allocation is based on connections between prisoners and on the financial capacity of each. Each inmate must pay the prisoner responsible for the dorm a “rent”, which varies by location. In the prison of Parakou, the prisoners have to pay a rent of 3,500 F (ie 5.32 €). It includes the lodging, the mat, the emptying of cans and the sweeping. Inmates at Abomey Prison pay extra to sleep outside or stay outside until the doors are closed.

The “privileged” sleep close to the walls. They can get up at night via a narrow walkway? . The majority of prisoners sleep in the center of the dormitory. They are called “immobilized beds” because they sleep head-to-feet and they cannot move during the night. The “locked-squatting” sleep at the entrance of the dormitory. They cannot stretch because of lack of space and sleep while squatting. They may remain assigned to this location for periods of up to 12 months.

It may be very warm because of the confined space. The ceiling fans being used are insufficient. People faint, and sometimes die of suffocation, especially when power failures occur.

The Cotonou Civil Prison comprises 14 dormitories in the men’s quarter (called “general”) and an unspecified number of dormitories in the women’s and minors’ quarter. Some main dormitories are assigned to the wealthiest prisoners (the “White House” or “Rotary”).

In theory, two meals must be served per day.

Food is provided by selected suppliers through competitive tenders. Some of them have to suspend their services because of not receiving payment from the State.

Prisoners report poor quality meals and insufficient quantities. The two meals are served at the same time, between 15 and 16 hours. The provider, the prison staff and the inmate responsible for meals distribute the food.

Food and beverage trafficking is strictly forbidden. A system of purchasing groceries is managed by the hierarchy of prisoners. Traders from local markets go to prisons to sell food or cooked meals. Prices are higher than those outside the prison.

The State does not provide meals to detainees in police custody.. The family, police or gendarmes may eventually give them food.

Family support allows prisoners to supplement their diet. Some detainees can also obtain additional food through the various “royalties” they receive from other prisoners, such as rent. Solidarity systems are set up in a dorm or neighborhood to provide a food supplement to all members, including those who do not have family support.

The geographical location of the prison plays a role in access to food. That of Akpro-Missérété is located outside the city which prevents the prisoners to supplement their food ration through the external merchants.

Water sources are mostly outside of buildings. The prisoners only have access to water during daytime. In April 2016, the prisoners of Abomey demonstrated, because of water shortage.

Detention conditions contribute to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases such as malaria, pulmonary disease and skin disorders.

There are no measures in place to address the significant risk of epidemics. Local medical isolation is used regardless of the pathology suffered by the sick prisoner. Psychiatric patients are locked in the Porto-Novo prison.

Toilets are often watertight latrines. They are communal and installed in the central courtyard. There are no blocks reserved for handwashing. The Ministry of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights (MJLDH) is in charge of paying the providers to empty the toilets. Therefore, the prisoners must sometimes replace them. This increases the risk of fecal-oral contamination within the prison.

The weekly distribution of soap and toiletries has not taken place since 2014.

Waste disposal centers are located in the middle of the prison yards of Porto-Novo and Cotonou. Garbage is buried outside the prison.

Cleaning products have not been delivered since 2015. This contributes to the proliferation of parasites, fleas, bugs and rats which are the vectors of parasitic and infectious diseases.

The Ministry of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights (MJLDH) is responsible for the management and financing of health care in prisons. Funding is insufficient: in 2015, the implementation rate of the overall budget allocated to prisons was 26.1%. The Ministry of Health may intervene with the authorization of the MJLDH.

One Doctor, Chief Medical Officer must:

• monitor the prisons of its jurisdiction,
• visit them at least once every 15 days
• propose remedial measures if necessary.

Each prison has an infirmary. They lack basic necessities and do not meet international standards. The nurses are recruited by the MJLDH. They do not receive training appropriate to their work environment. They are not included in the training of the Ministry of Health. The nurses are assisted by inmates in their work.

Except in cases of extreme urgency, prisoners must register with the secretary of the building one-two days in advance for an infirmary appointment. . Appointment days are determined by prisoner category. There is no night time service. Nurses do not have medical supervision over prisoners in disciplinary cells.

Only three out of ten infirmaries use the tools recommended by the National Health Information and Management System for data collection (registers, patient records are often lacking, report cards etc.). The nurses are not trained to use them.

Health care in prisons is normally provided free of charge where available. When the inmates are transferred to the hospital, they have to pay for the prescribed medicines.

The rate of prisoners reporting they do not to use their right to access healthcare is 94.3%. The main reasons are the lack of access to services, lack of nurses and medicine shortages. Sometimes expired medicines are given. Given the difficulty of accessing health care, a parallel economy is taking growing . A financial charge for access to the first appointment in the infirmary, and an organization within and outside the prison to access medicines also exist (drugs brought by the family, internal sales between prisoners). Sometimes herbal medicine is bused.

There are no psychological services in the prisons.

Only the prison of Akpro-Missérété has a medical transport which also serves as the transfer for the prisoners.

The prisons in Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Kandi, Natitingou and Parakou do a medical check-up on all new prisoners.

There were two on-going health programs in prisons in 2016: the National AIDS Control Program and the National Tuberculosis Control Program. However, there is no systematic screening for tuberculosis, the Hepatitis B virus and / or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), whether on arrival, during imprisonment or upon release from prison. NGOs intervene every six months in the ten prisons to carry out HIV testing as part of the AIDS Program.

Forced labor is foreseen as punishment in the Criminal Code[^work]. Those convicted usually serve their sentences in a prison.

[^work]:Article 15 of the Criminal Code of 1954.

In order to help the social reintegration of prisoners, the prison administration allows NGOs to intervene, including:

• The Don Bosco Centers
• The Brotherhood of Prisons
• Prisoners Without Borders
• The Institute of Girls of Mary auxiliary
• The Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco

The Benin Human Rights League, the Action of Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), Amnesty International Benin and the Association of Victims of Torture are working to denounce human rights violations during detention and custody. They carry out awareness-raising campaigns, actions in detention centers and visit prisons.

The Ombudsman of the Republic, established by the Law of 11 August 2009, received several complaints from prisoners concerning prison conditions and judicial dysfunctions. He visited all the prisons in 2010 and 2012.

30 soldiers are stationed at the Cotonou Prison to ensure security around the establishment. They reinforce prison staff for prisoner transport operations (to medical care or to court visits) and provide assistance for searching prisoners.