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Another day in prison

Today I made my usual monthly visit to our local prison which currently houses 213 young men aged between 18 and 25. I went with Fr Owen who celebrated mass with the young men who sang and danced, as usual, in a wonderful fashion. Early on in my stay here I made the decision to go as often as I could after having heard the stories of some of those young men, many of whom are sentenced for a five year term, during which most of them do not see their families. It isn't because families don't want to see them its quite simply that many cannot afford the fare to travel to their son who may be imprisoned very many kilometres away from home. I promised the young men that I would represent their families.

Today was a little different as we had two teenage boys accompanying us, one aged 13 and the other 14. Their parents had asked if the boys could make the visit as a deterrent as recently they have been caught stealing other boys belongings. The prisoners and the prison authorities were great in being very open about the hardships the inmates endure and they provided us with a tour. I have been in many times before but today saw parts of the prison, I haven't previously been allowed to. We were taken into the "kitchen," an open air space where, the boys make for each other their one daily meal, usually a maize porridge with a few beans in a very watery sauce. We were also invited into a cell, a room measuring around 4m x 5m where 31 young men sleep on the floor, side by side with one, not at all private, toilet in the corner.

One 21 year old man told me that he was convicted four years ago and still had 6 years to serve. I have no idea at all what he is being punished for but it is hardly a great start to adult life. I have been told that many of them receive sentences of between 3- 5 years for something like stealing a bike or a goat. As in the UK, many of those in prison have missed out on much of their education so that features highly in their daily routine, before they are all locked in their cell from 3.30 pm until 7.00am.

Now I am not getting all soppy and defensive but these harsh sentences do seem disproportionate in a country where it is alleged that the national leaders are guilty of misappropriating funds amounting to a lot more than the cost of a bike.


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