Liberian officials say the modern detention facility built in Bopolu, Gbarpolu County by UNMIL Quick Impact Project and handed over to the government last December makes a significant contribution to the improved security environment in the county.

Before the new facility was built, there was an attempted jail break about a year ago by eighteen suspects who were locked-up in one tiny cell at the Bopolu Liberia National Police Headquarters, recalls Bopolu Prison Superintendent Dweh Tarwillie. But for the quick intervention of the Liberia National Police, UNMIL Nigeria Peacekeeping contingent and local citizens, the escapees would have destroyed the police station, he said.

“This situation in fact demonstrates just one of the many reasons why the county needed a modern accommodation for detainees,” said Tarwille.

Officials say the new facility brings an end to a time when suspects in police custody were accommodated in makeshift structures or had to be transferred to the Bomi Central Prison in Tubmanburg. Getting suspects to court in Bopolu on time from Bomi Central Prison was a challenge because of the long distance and bad roads.

Lucy Gachie of UNMIL’s Corrections Advisory Unit said the lack of a formal detention facility poses serious challenges. She said persons deprived of their liberty largely depend on the detaining authorities for respect of their basic human rights; therefore it is incumbent upon the prison authority to seek the welfare of the inmates.

“This is the reason UNMIL Corrections Advisory Unit has undertaken to support the Liberia Bureau of Corrections in the construction and refurbishment of a prison facility to provide safe, secure and humane conditions for those in custody,” she said.

The completion of the centre now facilitates separate accommodations for males, females and juvenile inmates while crop farming has been introduced in the rehabilitation plan for the centre to supplement inmates feeding and equip them with basic farming skills upon expiry of their sentences, Gachie noted.

She urged the Liberian Government to support what she termed “the noble goal” by providing funds for expansion of the facility given the possible increase in inmate population with the restoration of the rule-of-law in the country.
Gachie said the dedication of the facility signifies UNMIL’s commitment to strengthening the rule-of-law in Liberia.

The Director of Corrections at the Ministry of Justice, Eric Mulbah, called for citizens to help maintain and manage the structure. He appealed for more rehabilitation programmes such as skills training in information technology, sports and psychosocial therapy in addition to the current agriculture project - a cassava farm - that would help make the hands and minds of detainees more useful.

The Bopolu Detention Centre has a maximum capacity of 15 inmates with three cells; each for male, female and juvenile detainees. In late September 2011, UNMIL also handed over 10 Quick Impact Projects in three counties including Bong, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount to ensure security and justice for local residents. Of these projects, Gbarma in Gbarpolu County received a police depot and a magisterial court.