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Officials said on Friday that the Aweil Central Prison in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state is overcrowded and prisoners are forced to sleep sitting or taking turns.
This was revealed after the Governor, Simon Uber Mawut, inspected the correctional facility.
The prison, which currently houses more than 800 inmates, including children and women, was initially built to accommodate only 150 inmates, prison director Philip Tong said.
“We face several challenges, the biggest of which is overcrowding. This prison was originally built to accommodate 150 inmates but now houses 800 inmates, who are forced to sit or take turns sleeping, and there are many juvenile inmates. We have more than 40 teenagers here, and we have no electricity,” Tong told Radio Tamazuj.
Tong stressed the need to increase prison capacity to improve living standards and accommodate the growing number of prisoners.
Deputy Health Minister Riing Diing Lual Dau said overcrowding in prisons has led to outbreaks of waterborne and skin diseases.
“The most common diseases here are due to overcrowding and water supply problems. Fortunately, we have trained health staff in the prison. There are areas in the prison that treat patients with tuberculosis and HIV,” Dean said.
State Information and Communications Minister Garang Zachariah said the state government will address some of the challenges.
Zakaria said prisoners complained that some of them were detained for simple cases that could be easily resolved if the courts heard them more quickly. He also complained that there was not enough food and mosquito nets in the prison.
The governor promised to look into the challenges faced by prisoners.
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