Monrovia Central Prison: Initial Impression

Last Tuesday was my first formal day at the Ministry of Justice. I made sure to arrive promptly at 8.30am to meet with a member of the Minister’s staff, who briefed me on how the Ministry operates and how I could contribute to the ongoing work of the corrections and rehabilitation department. After this small introduction, we departed for Monrovia Central Prison so that I could gain an initial impression of the problems currently faced by the Liberian prison system.

As we entered the sandy grounds of the prison, the blazing morning sun beat down upon us. A piece of razor wire fencing lay abandoned in the yard in front of the rusted walls of the main prison detention unit. Upon entering, we were immediately greeted by several prison guards who proceeded to give us a tour of the premises. It is difficult to describe just how desperate the situation at the prison is but I will do my best.

The prison houses around 800 inmates in a building built for a maximum capacity of around 300 prisoners. Consequently, the prison is seriously overcrowded with some cells housing as many as 12 prisoners. There is not even enough floor space per inmate in some cells with prisoners having to use their ingenuity to construct makeshift hammocks to create additional sleeping areas. Generally, inmates receive just one meal of maize per day, a portion which falls far short of the legal requirement to provide prisoners with good and wholesome food in sufficient quantity and reasonable variety. The healthcare situation is dire: the prison employs just one nurse and has inadequate space, drugs and supplies. The prison lacks the means to test for malaria, so all suspected cases must be brought to JFK hospital, a significant burden given the high number of cases. The prison suffers from a lack of running water with a single well serving the needs of the whole prison. As a result of inadequate staffing and security risks, prisoners are only allowed outdoors in small groups for short periods of time. Given the poor ventilation and sunlight inside the cells, the shortness of time spent outdoors by each prisoner is particularly distressing. Even when prisoners are allowed out, the prison has little to offer in the way of recreation with one lone volleyball net sitting idle in the prison yard: the most exercise prisoners can hope for is a walk around the prison grounds. There are few projects aimed at rehabilitating prisoners and no assistance is provided on release to assist with their reintegration back into society; as a consequence, many end up returning to prison upon release.



Possibly more shocking than the prison conditions themselves is the fact that 90% of inmates are pre-trial detainees, i.e. they are merely accused of committing crimes but have not yet had a full trial or conviction. Particularly worrying is the high number of pre-trial detainees who are accused of non-violent crimes, minor felony crimes and economic disputes all of which should have been declared non-custodial during pre-trial stages. Instead, these pre-trial detainees become trapped in the prison system, helpless to obtain the fair and speedy trials that they desperately need.




A famous prison reformer, Thomas O. Murton, once said that “prisons, mental hospitals and other institutions are a thermometer that measures the sickness of the larger society. The treatment society affords its outcasts reveals the way in which its members view one another – and themselves”. The Liberian government has recognised this fact and is now pushing to reform the entire criminal justice system. Over the coming months, I will be assisting with the development of this reform programme and through this blog I will introduce you to the many projects that are being undertaken to help improve the system. One thing is clear: reform can't come quickly enough.