The Wise Bird was at the budget policy hearing when the most respected, patriotic and uncompromising animal overheard the Acting Director General, Brigadier Sheik Sulaiman Massaquoi saying the Sierra Leone Correctional services (SLCS) has gone for almost five (5) months without rice supply to the institution.

Upon hearing that statement, the bird became very angry and was able to put one and one together and concludes that, maybe that has been the reason for the alleged deaths of some inmates in the prison for lack of food.

However, the Director spoke about the correctional services embarking on agriculture work, and they have cultivated 557 acres of rice at Mafanta, 25 acres in Makari, 5,000 acres at Masanke, 21 acres in Kenema and Rolako respectively.

According to him, the challenges are overcrowding of inmates in all the centres especially in Freetown’s male correctional centre, Bo, Makeni, Kenema and also noted of the delays in the disbursement of funds for proper implementation.

The bird also overheard the Director saying that, there has been lack of a clearly defined and approved operational policies in the institution.

He also spoke about the poor conditions of service which includes lack of medical facility for officers, citing the as another challenge.

Lack of hospital for inmates and officers in the centre is also a major problem, he said.

He gave a historical background of the prison of which, he said, it was established on the 14th March 1914, with a capacity for only 324 prisoners, by the British Colonial authorities.

The key concern the Wise Bird is expressing is that, if the institution can go without rice supply for five (5) months what were their men/inmates eating within the five (5) month period?