Following rumors of mysterious death at the Monrovia Central Prison/South Beach, Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean have confirmed the rejections of inmates to the over-crowdedness of the prison facility.
Minister Dean who the country’s Acting President in the absent of President George Weah claimed that those being denied admission at the prison were inmates accused of minor offences which needed to be address at the community level.
“Where no damage was done or nobody was wounded, people arrested on minor charges are to instead be returned to communities and kept under the watch of community leaders and not to be sent the South Beach because of its limited space/capacity,” he said.
Minister Frank Musa Dean made the assertion yesterday, December 15, 2022 when he spoke with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Liberia’s correspondent, Jonathan Paye-Laleh on reported death of inmates at the prison.
The country’s Justice Minister who could not confirm nor deny the report further assured the citizenry of government willingness and commitment in addressing the issues of over-crowdedness at the country’s biggest and main prison facility.
However, Justice Minister Dean admittance to the over-crowdedness of the prison facility followed report of the mysterious death of inmates at the South Beach due to the outbreak of an unknown sickness at the facility.
Some family sources said their children and relatives death is at the result of government failure to adequately address the medical conditions of these inmates, thereby creating series of illnesses among them.
The family sources that preferred anonymity also confirmed that in the last two to three weeks, about six people have died at the facility due to illness, and maintained, “The facility is overcrowded. The facility was initially built for less than 400 people, but now hosts over a thousand inmates.
Our source further disclosed that that the corps of these deceased inmates is taken away by medical vans from the facility to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, while at the same time stated that due to the situation believed to be resulting from over-crowdedness, the facility is also refusing to accept new inmates forwarded by the courts.
But when contacted, Assistant Justice Minister for Correction and Rehabilitation, Eddie Tarawali denied the allegation about the death toll rising at the Monrovia Central Prison, stating, “That information is untrue but we are aware about the over-crowdedness of the facility.”
Minister Tarawali said even though some inmates are ill at the facility, inmates have been taking treatments at a mini clinic within the Monrovia Central Prison, unless when it’s a critical condition before they are transferred to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center.
“Even in society people die normally and the prison is no exception, the prison is overcrowded, but nobody has died as per my record. When people are sick, a condition that can be handled in the prison, we handle it, we have a mini clinic which deals with mini issues and when it’s critical, we referred them to JFK,” Minister Tarawali maintained.
He further explained that that some of these illnesses being experienced by inmates are rashes, scabies, and other skin infections, while others have Malaria which can be handled by the mini-clinic.
As a means of de-congesting the facility, Minister Tarawali at the same time disclosed that the government has begun the construction of extra prison facilities at the Monrovia Central Prison, adding, “Because of overcrowding, the prison has taught not to accept any inmate until they de-congest the facility, so we are working with the court to ensure we can proceed with fast-tracking of Magistrate sitting.”
“There will be a lot, the engineers are here and we are constructing a lot to accommodate more people, and currently, there are over 1,600 plus inmates at the facility when the facility should be hosting 375 inmates,” Minister Tarawala averred.
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