SLCS Presents 2027-2029 Budget, Sets Out Welfare, Correctional Reform Priorities
Alusine Ahmed Kargbo The Sierra Leone Correctional Service (SLCS) on Thursday outlined its proposed 2027–2029 budget before the Ministry of Finance during a budget hearing in Freetown, officials said.
The session, held at the Miatta Conference Centre, formed part of the national budget review process under Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution, which requires ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to justify planned expenditures before approval.
According to SLCS, Director General Joseph John Senessie led the presentation, highlighting key spending priorities aimed at strengthening correctional operations over the three years.
The agency said its proposals focus on improving inmate and staff welfare, expanding mechanised agriculture programs within correctional facilities, and accelerating digital record-keeping systems. It also identified reducing overcrowding in detention centres as a central objective.
Senessie emphasised that the proposed interventions are intended to support what SLCS describes as a more effective correctional system aligned with human rights standards for inmates, according to the service’s presentation.
The hearing concluded with feedback from participants and observers, some of whom commended the correctional service’s leadership and reform-oriented proposals, according to accounts from the session.
The budget is expected to undergo further review as part of the government’s broader 2027–2029 fiscal planning process.