By Patrick Stephen Tokpah (Freelancer)
The Gbarnga Central Prison hosting some of Liberia’s notorious criminals is said to be in complete darkness as inmates and correction officers are using Chinese lights.
The Prison Superintendent, Richard Mulbah, said they are worried about the situation, stating that even though they are inmates, their rights need to be protected.
He alleged that other public facilities in the county have been electrified since the Jungle Energy Power (JEP) entered the county, but the Gbarnga Central Prison that is hosting inmates is yet to be electrified.
The Gbarnga Central Prison Superintendent further revealed that over the years, they have engaged local authorities of the county on the issues of the electrification of the prison facility but to no avail.
He said the prison being part of the Criminal Justice System has a very big responsibility, adding “If the Police go about arresting high cord criminals and subsequently forward them to court and the court sentenced them to 30 or 40 years in prison and Correction Officers allow them go back into the society to start to tarry our people meaning the efforts applied by the other branch of the criminal justice system proof fruitless.”
“So we are again begging our leaders to help us supply the prison facility with electricity. We have many challenges at the prison facility, but we cannot talk all because of security reasons,” Mulbah noted.
Mulbah said the Gbarnga Central Prison’s population currently is 307 instead of the normal standard capacity of the prison.
He noted that the entity over the years had strived to ensure that the rights of prisoners, including pre-trial detainees are observed, it had been hindered by factors such as overcrowding, logistical constraints as well as the slow pace of investigation and prosecution leading to prolonged stay in pre-trial detention.
Superintendent Mulbah said out of 307 inmates, 224 are pre-trial detainees.
He further urged the relevant stakeholders within the criminal justice system of Liberia to initiate interventions to mitigate the challenges affecting the rights of pre-trial detainees.
The alarm of the prison being in darkness was raised by the Superintendent at the Gbarnga Central Prison, Mulbah during the opening ceremony of the May Term of Court in the county.
