Why Our Work
The Need
Places of detention in Sierra Leone are sites of gross human rights violations. Severe overcrowding, lengthy pre-trial detention, poor health and medical facilities, poor hygienic conditions, lack of food and basic amenities, inter-prisoner violence and a complete lack of access to productive activities have created zones of exception where the strongest rule.
A large portion of people detained in Sierra Leone have not received a verdict. 5 years of pre-trial detention is not unusual. Particularly in remote regions of the country, people are detained for years without trial due to absence of lawyers, judges, and magistrates and sometimes the inability to pay exorbitant legal fees.
Children, women and youth in detention are particularly vulnerable. Despite the promise of free quality education, children and juveniles in prisons receive no education or skills training. Rather, they grow up and spend their formative years in a violent environment that provides them no opportunities in life upon release. Upon release, youth are left with no support to reunite with their families and reintegrate in society. Recidivism rates are on the increase both among youths and juveniles.
Similarly, women in prison are vulnerable. The stigma associated with imprisonment is particularly severe for women who are often rejected by their families and communities. They receive less support and visits during detention and are often labelled as outcasts upon release. While detention under the conditions offered in Sierra Leone is extremely harmful for the individuals concerned, as well as for society in general, there is a regrettable policy drive towards punishment by imprisonment in Sierra Leone. Small offences, such as pick-pocketing and begging can result in long prison sentences.
Most persons who end up in Sierra Leonean prisons are there because of desperate acts committed due to poverty, destitution, and neglect. Imprisonment is not the answer to such problems. On the contrary, imprisonment create several new problems for our society. Not least a group of citizens who are used to violence and unable to become self-reliant.
How we work
We monitor places of detention
PWSL has monitors in all prisons throughout the country. Through regular visits, we engage with prison guards and prisoners. This work serves to prevent torture and ill-treatment and to improve prison conditions through constructive engagement with the prison administration.
We deliver legal aid
We deliver legal aid towards release of innocent pre-trial detained individuals – with focus on youth. Through legal presentation and court monitoring, PWSL expedites legal proceedings. This serves to ensure faster release of people detained without grounds – and has the side benefit of reducing overcrowding in places of detention.
We support women, children and youth deprived of their liberty
We support women, children and youth deprived of their liberty with skills-training and psychosocial support. Doing so not only prepares them for a productive life after release, it also reduces tensions and violence during imprisonment.
We trace and unite released youth and women
We trace and unite released youth and women with their families and communities. Being able to move on after release depends to a very large degree on family and social support networks. Yet, these ties are often broken and requires mediation to restore them.
We manage data & produce research
Through our prison monitoring, PWSL maintains a record of all persons deprived of their liberty and maintains a track record of human rights cases and issues in prisons. In addition, we undertake various research that provide in-depth insights into prison realities and legal reform needs.
We advocate for justice reforms
Based on our data and evidence, we undertake advocacy with criminal justice authorities in Sierra Leone. Through our membership of the national Correctional Council, we have privileged access to policy and decision makers, and we make use of this platform to promote legal and administrative changes that enhance human rights protection of people in conflict with the law.