Ahead of the reopening of its Legal Aid Clinic, aimed at decongesting overcrowded prisons, the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) has disclosed a plan to facilitate the release of 200 pretrial detainees within a year, which it envisions as a result of the program.

LNBA's president Sylvester Rennie announced the move during a ceremony at the bar's office, following the training of lawyers and case workers that are going to work at the clinic.

According to Cllr. Rennie, the LNBA has secured an amount of US$121,000 from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as funding towards the clinic.

"This amount is only for the clinic in Montserrado County," Rennie disclosed. He added that if the Montserrado County project was to be successful, they are going to extend to the other counties, where the clinic was once established.

The Legal Clinic is an establishment of the LNBA, aimed at providing free legal services for party litigants who cannot afford legal fees.

The project was temporarily suspended after its major donor, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Legal Professional Development and Anti-Corruption Program in Liberia (LPACE) ended its operation in the country.

Cllr. Rennie, however, appealed for more funding to reopen the clinics throughout the country, to decongest prison facilities.

Monrovia Central Prison, Liberia's largest penitentiary with a capacity for 500 people, holds more than 10,000 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial, human rights institutions said in their reports on prison facilities.

For his part, Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah lauded the UNDP for the support and assured that the funds would be accounted for.

"UNDP is very careful in upholding accountability, and so we are going to make regular detailed reports on activities of the project," Cllr. Varmah cautioned caretakers for the funds.

In recent days, inmates have increasingly grown frustrated with the poor conditions in the facility, including inadequate beds, poor feeding and poor sanitation.

However, authorities failed to act despite warnings, said rights institutions that have visited the prison in the past.

Similar concern has been raised by Correctional Palace officers, who have repeatedly warned of "deplorable and inhumane" conditions and how inmates constantly lack food, water and medical care.