UNITY – To be imprisoned is, by nature, no walk in the park. Add severe overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, a lack of healthcare routines and juvenile offenders being locked up with adult criminals and the overall picture becomes rather bleak.

Colonel Kon Pal Keat, Director of the state prison in Bentiu, is very much aware of the situation.

“Our detention facility is definitely in a bad way, with our inmates facing multiple serious challenges, including insufficient clothing and food rations. These realities made me reach out to UNMISS (the United Nations Mission in South Sudan) for possible support,” he admitted.

As tends to be the case, the Ghanaian military contingent serving with the peacekeeping mission in Bentiu was ready to offer its assistance. A group of them promptly visited the prison, conducted a thorough clean-up operation of the premises and offered much-needed medical services to the more than 200 people, including 13 juvenile offenders, temporarily serving time.

Mixing boys and girls with adult inmates is, according to Director Keat, problematic and a significant cause of concern.

“We urgently need a juvenile rehabilitation facility. Young offenders need a supportive environment focused on rehabilitation, not punishment. It cannot be right to keep a 12-year-old boy detained for alleged homicide together with grown men,” he sighed, adding that four of “his” youngsters are currently set to be transferred to reformatory schools in Wau and Juba.

As part of its mandate, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country is engaged in activities to build the capacity of every link of South Sudan’s justice system, prisons included.

“Improving the overall management of detention facilities is a mission priority, particularly when it comes to the treatment of young convicts,” explained Alexander Lyyli Lugambo, a Corrections Officer serving with UNMISS.

Improved possibilities for citizens to have their criminal cases heard by courts is another key objective of the support provided to the nation’s judiciary. Nathalie Mazur, an UNMISS Rule of Law officer, stressed the importance of enhancing access to justice in Unity State.

“We are collaborating with the relevant local authorities to implement mobile courts to swiftly address legal issues. The anticipated launch of a fourth mobile court (in Bentiu) in December is expected to help restore faith in the judicial system and clear the backlog of pending cases,” said Nathalie Mazur, a Rule of Law Officer serving with UNMISS.

As for the inmates and staff at the Bentiu prison, serious problems remain that need to be properly addressed remain, despite the much-appreciated support offered by Ghanaian peacekeepers. Biggest of them all is, perhaps, the high risk of outbreaks of various diseases, coupled with a lack of both medical supplies and regular access to medical care.