Publications
The refurbished National Palace of Corrections in Zwedru
Photo: Hans Inge Jorstad/UNMIL
The Bureau of Corrections was Created in Liberia in 1978 as a division under the Ministry of Justice by section 41 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the Republic of Liberia.
As an integral part of the criminal justice system, the correctional service has a key role in the protection of society through the provision of safe, secure and humane control of prisoners.
To assist in this endeavor, the Corrections Advisory Unit was established within UNMIL to work with the Liberian government to re-establish the Bureau of Corrections.
Mandate
The mandate of the Unit is to:
- Provide strategic and technical advice on correctional issues
- Provide support, expertise and guidance on penal reforms
- Support the infrastructural development and expansion of the Bureau’s facilities
- Develop the Bureau’s human resource through mentoring
- Train the Corrections staff in modern prison management and human rights
Objectives
- Strengthen the Bureau’s human resource capacity to be able to undertake its responsibilities
- Mainstream human rights and gender issues in the Bureau’s training curricula
- Construction and refurbishment of prison facilities so as to provide safe, secure and humane living conditions to those in prison custody
- Improve policies and procedures to reflect international guidelines on the treatment of offenders
- Encourage the Bureau to embrace reform initiatives through partnerships with stakeholders
Current activities
Mentoring and Advising
The unit has continued to deploy international corrections advisors who are mainly co-located in the prisons and maintain frequent contact with the national staff to help them develop capabilities to take control and manage situations in their respective working stations. Mentoring focuses on institutional operational issues and is tailored to reinforce the formal training provided at the Academy.
Capacity building
To enhance the national capacity to manage the prisoners and facilities, the unit’s international staff work with national stakeholders to develop and implement a National Training Plan. The competency-based training programmes that address all areas of prison and prisoner management, are being implemented collaboratively with dedicated national staff, and by so doing contribute to the development of a national training capacity. Integrating human rights issues into general prison management practices, the training programmes also develop management and administrative capacity of senior staff, promote self sufficiency of the prison system and facilitate the implementation of regional best practices.
The deployment of a substantial number of trained corrections officers (including females) in various facilities nationwide has helped to enhance professionalism in the Bureau. In addition, the Unit also conducts interim basic training and management courses for serving corrections staff and superintendents to enable them effectively manage the facilities. Training of trainers (TOT) programmes are also given to a select group of national corrections staff some of whom have been certified as trainers after completing a series of dedicated trainers’ programmes. The national trainers are now involved in delivering training sessions and conducting assessment of trainees, in preparation for the nationals to take over the training programme when UNMIL draws down.
Building collaborations
The Unit continues to build sustainable partnerships both with national and international organizations for humanitarian and developmental support. Substantive donations have been received for the basic care of prisoners in the form of food, beddings and hygienic materials. Some of these organizations include UNDP, ICRC, WFP, UNHCR and NGOs such as Mercy ship Crew, Prison Fellowship, etc. Linkages have been built between the rule of law institutions, particularly in the criminal justice agencies including police, judiciary and prisons. The Unit has also engaged the civil society and other donor agencies in initiatives that promote support to the correctional service of Liberia.
Prison refurbishment and rehabilitation
In order to ensure safe separation and security of prisoners, the Unit has continued to assist the Bureau to refurbish and build corrections facilities across the country. Most of these facilities are refurbished through donor funding from UNMIL Quick Impact Projects (QIP), UNHCR, and governments like the USA, Canada and Norway. The facilities are regularly monitored by international staff who also provide advice to national staff on best prison management practices.
Security and logistics have considerably improved through procurement of security equipments such as handcuffs and padlocks for the facilities. UNMIL has also donated fire equipment to the facilities and given basic training skills to the corrections staff. The unit has now embarked on initiating cost effective prisoners’ activities for convicted prisoners in the operational facilities. These include gardening, mat weaving, brick, soap making and literacy training, among others.
Penal Reforms
In collaboration with national and international stakeholders, CAU has helped design a Penal Reform Development Plan that will guide the medium and long-term development of the Liberian corrections system. To augment this, a policy framework has since been developed and approved by the Liberian Ministry of Justice. These, together with the legal provisions, form a basis for developing national policies and procedures. Similarly, institutional policies and post orders to guide the operations of the individual facilities have been developed and are being implemented in the facilities. The Unit also continues to guide the national staff in strategic development and management that will enhance operationalization of the penal reform process.
The condition of the corrections facilities has improved across the country through CAU support with significant progress made in the area of care, custody and control of inmates. The Unit will continue to seek sustainable funding to refurbish dilapidated physical facilities in counties where they exist and construct new ones where there are none while strategizing on ways to address the acute shortage of staff in the BCR which is impacting negatively on both public safety and security of the facilities.