Visit to the Agricultural Penitentiary Centre in Baporo and the High Court and prison in Boromo

On March 5th, 2018, the technical partners in the Justice and Human Rights sector visited the Agricultural Penitentiary Centre in Baporo and the High Court and prison in Boromo.

The Agricultural Penitentiary Centre in Baporo aims to train prisoners in a semi-open environment in agriculture, livestock and crafts. This helps the prison to be self-sufficient. Analphabetic prisoners are taught to read and write and the prison aims to follow up on detainees after their release. The centre has a capacity of 80 detainees; but is struggling with lack of funding and equipment.

The High Court in Boromo manages two penitentiary facilities and handles cases relating to robbery, physical assault and homicide. The court faces numerous difficulties including low staffing and lack of legal documentation.

The prison in Boromo is realtively small but well maintained but faces problems of overcrowding. The prison is built for 120 prisoners but currently houses 259. There is also a problem of prisoners being detained for long without being sentenced. At present, the prisoner who has been detained the longest without being judged has been in the prison since December 2010.