Liberia: Monrovia Central Prison Seeks Support for Autonomous Status

4 November 2024
The New Dawn (Monrovia)
By Kruah Thompson

The BCR is seeking an autonomous status comparable to other agencies such as the Liberia National Police.

Monrovia, November 4, 2024: Monrovia Central Prison (MCP) Acting Superintendent Joel Justin Juah has called on advocacy groups to urge the Liberian Senate to grant the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation (BCR) an autonomous agency status.

Juah launched the plea at the recent launch of The Rescue Alternative Liberia and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) project.

The quest for autonomous status at the BCR is aimed at improving community policing relations and advocacy for prison reform.

The BCR is a critical component of Liberia's criminal justice system.

The criminal justice system comprises three administrative sub-divisions: the BCR, the Bureau of Probation, and the Board of Parole, which operate under the Ministry of Justice.

In April 2022, UNDP Liberia, through the Rule of Law Joint Program, supported a two-day review and validation of Liberia's Corrections Service Act in Grand Bassa County.

This draft Act seeks to establish the BCR as a semi-autonomous entity known as the National Corrections and Rehabilitation Service, allowing it to raise its funds.

Once passed by the Senate, the Act will elevate the BCR to a status comparable to other agencies within the Ministry of Justice, such as the Liberia National Police (LNP).

However, despite the Act being finalized and validated by the Ministry of Justice and its partners, it has yet to be enacted into law.

During the launch, Juah emphasized that the Act is currently before the Senate.

He urged civil society actors and advocates to appeal to the chair of the House Committee on Security to ensure its passage.

He stated, "If we take inmates to the prison and are unable to change them, it will become a problem but with the act passed, we can generate our own money from international partners to train inmates and run the affairs of the prison."

Juah further expressed the need for support from all civil society advocates.

"If this happens, you will notice changes in terms of the prison system in Liberia," he noted.

Read the original article on New Dawn.

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