Prisoners in Sierra Leone Rises Above 7,000 – Correctional Service Says

More than 7,000 inmates are currently being managed by fewer than 2,000 correctional officers across Sierra Leone, according to the Sierra Leone Correctional Service (SLCS).

The figures were disclosed by SLCS Director General Joseph J. Senessie during the institution’s presentation at the 2027 Annual Bilateral Budget Hearing organised by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development at the Miatta Civic Centre in Freetown.

Senessie said the gap between the country’s inmate population and available correctional personnel was putting considerable pressure on the Service and limiting its ability to effectively provide security, rehabilitation and other services to inmates.

The Director General appealed to the Government to approve the recruitment of an additional 1,500 correctional officers as part of efforts to improve the staff-to-inmate ratio and strengthen operations across the country.