Improve this article by inserting constitutional legalities to improve this authorship. This writer is limited in-terms of presenting the legal framework to boost the expectation of this news item. Meanwhile, this content is more practical than legal; more logical than constitutional, and focuses on the establishing realities that surrounds the Judicial Week. At the end of this content, a column will be created for readership opinion, and elites recommendations to inform subsequent writings for comparative reasons.

It could be recalled that, the Judicial Week was established to investigate bailable offences. The initiative was further introduced to decongest Correctional Centres; minimize the country’s economic implications on food, shelter, and welfare issues. Following the observation of the exercise, visitations are carried out to know the status of inmates and to determine the next line of action. Human Rights Lawyers, the Judiciary, and the Correctional Service are in full check, to ensure the accomplishment of this activity.

Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray was the Presidential Aspirant for the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP), in the 2018 general elections. His passion for accountability, human rights and the rule of law cannot be over-emphasized. During his reign in effective political participation, he qualified the role of sound opposition, examined the excesses of government, and organized citizens participation for gross political awareness. Nonetheless, the Mandingo leader involved in allegations surrounding sexual assault, this was where his demise began.

According to the report, some prison cells measuring six feet by nine feet held or more inmates. The NGO Prison Watch and the Sierra Leone Correctional Service reported that 13(thirteen) prisons and detention centres were moderately overcrowded. As a way of mitigating this overcrowding of prisoners across the country, you have designed a novel program through a judicial week, supported by UNDP and the government of Sierra Leone to embark on the process of decongesting prisons across the country. Excerpts from Legal Link’s opening letter.

Related News

Following the criss-cross visit of top level headed members in the Judiciary, the operation seeks to cover the whole country. Inmates with lighter sentences will be reviewed, offences that have prolonged detention will be considered, and prisoners that are waiting on the presiding discretion of the judge(s) will be in-cooperated for obvious reasons. However, in the view of this writer, this process appears to be selective rather than including all and sundry in the execution of state rights.

It is important to establish that, our correctional centres houses political pundits that are strong opposition members, they include, but not limited to, Abubakarr Daramy, Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray whose case has not been proven behind reasonable doubts, but still suffering penal offenses that are bailable, and the court’s hierarchy are still reluctant on that note. This singular reality is enough to state the biasness of the Judicial Week. This author is of the opinion that, until and unless political differences are set aside in the dispense of such a week, the credibility and it inclusivity of such initiative will speak volume.

For recommendation reasons, apart from the level of the week’s selectiveness, tendencies of unsustainable drive can be argued on. In a bid to make our prisons decongested, the following points must be considerably ponder on:

1. Community service for smaller sentences. Inmates can be ordered to dig a hole, clean the streets, and help in the collection of garbages. Despite the huge financial implications, having the risk of escaping prisoners, and the limited logistics to maintain such an approach, but effective co-ordination will yield the required dividend.

2. Alternative Dispute Regulation should be adopted. The court through the judge should asses the magnitude of specific family issues and assert on the need to do internal compromise to ease procrastination and decongest court cases, so as to promote the swift administration of justice.

3. Judicial legislations should be drafted to enhance effective performance of the Judiciary.

This column is for readership opinion. Insert your contribution……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Regards..!