The Chief Minister’s Prison Visit and The Need For A Holistic Approach To Our Justice System

The Chief Minister of Sierra Leone, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh over the weekend, visited the Pujehun Correctional center where he paid over One Hundred Thousand Leones as court fines for 47 inmates that couldn’t afford to pay those fines.

According to the Chief Minister, some of those he freed have been in prison for a fine for as low as Two Hundred Leones and President Bio’s human capital development initiative is not only for those outside the prison walls but also those serving terms as well.

That is just for Pujehun alone and I believe more shocking revelations and deserving inmates with similar plights will be discovered by the Chief Minister should he venture to visit other correctional centers in Makeni, Kono, Kabala and other part of the country.

With huge support from donors like the UNDP, we only expect our justice system to be better and nothing else.

Safe for Freetown, most of the matters that are charged in provincial courts are without a lawyer and the service of legal aid in those places is limited.

It is not possible for someone who cannot afford to pay a fine of Two Hundred Leones to pay a lawyer to represent him or her in a matter.

Imprisoning the head of a family over a crime that can be settled out of court is a recipe for also stifling the survival of the entire family especially in farming communities.

After an administrative change of name from prison to Correctional center, much reforms were expected in our justice system, contrary to what is happening such as over crowding.

Understandably, our correctional centers cannot be faulted for keeping those prisoners over petty crimes as they only have the responsibility to remand those sent in by a court.

With a staggering youths unemployment rate in the country, petty crimes and drugs become the norms and a way of life for some youths, and how the state or institutions respond to these challenges show how far we are willing and committed to accommodate, transform or ostracize our youthful population.

Crimes such as minor traffic offenses should not warrant prison but the reason why most if not all drivers prefer to bribe traffic police officers is because, whatever the officer tenders in court as charges against the driver stands, and any failure to pay the said fine levied by the court instantly would warrant imprisonment.

This has led to some form of distrust between the justice system and the public.

People spend months and years behind bars for crimes that they would have been cautioned and discharged for.

While the court seeks to pursue justice, there should be a mechanism for those found guilty of minor crimes with reliable sureties to be able to pay their fines within a stipulated time instead of demanding them to do so on the spot.

This will allow them to raise the said fine which would be hard if they are incarcerated.

At a time when the government is grappling with a proper welfare for inmates across the country, it only makes sense for the government to be looking into how some of our courts outside the capital

are dispensing justice.

It is sad that the former Attorney General under the All People’s Congress, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara could belittled himself on X by condemning the generous act of the Chief Minister.

His take on Chief Minister, further exposed his lack of sympathy for those inmates whose crimes by principle of natural justice should not warrant them to be there.

The generous act of the Chief Minister deserves to be emulated by other well-do-do citizens rather than discouraging a man with good intent.

No one deserves to be behind bars.