Liberia prisons: Where inmates are short of food, space and uniforms

When the food ran out for inmates at Liberia’s main prison earlier this month it exposed the terrible conditions that have long existed in the country’s jails.

The lack of supplies affected all of the country’s 15 prisons, forcing two to stop taking any new inmates.

It was only after at least two days that a local philanthropist and a charity stepped in to make up for the shortfall, but the wider problems – overcrowding and a lack of funding – have not gone away.

At Monrovia Central Prison, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,400 people are crammed into a space that was initially built for less than 400.

The outside of the prison has been given a facelift and the shining light grey walls could mislead passers-by into thinking that things are equally bright inside.

The food crisis gave a group of convicts, who briefly met journalists during a ceremony to open a new visitors’ hut, a rare opportunity to vent their frustration.


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