MYS Conducts Inmates Assessment
Thursday, 19th November 2009
Drug addiction, overcrowding, and lack of respect for prison authorities are primary causes for disruptive behaviors leading to jailbreaks at the Monrovia Prison Center in recent times, findings of a Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) functional behavior assessment have revealed.
The MYS assigned Senior Executive Service (SES) psycho-social counselor and trainer Ali Sylla, who led the assessment, said the problems were discovered mainly among school drop-outs, non-school going youth, and youth from single parent homes, between ages 15 and 17, who were interviewed and observed.
Designed to be a regular activity, the exercise was launched in support of the Ministry of Justice’s strides to prevent inmates from escaping from the prison center.
Sylla said the negative behavioral patterns were a major factor interfering in the Justice Ministry’s efforts to minimize verbal and physical aggression among inmates.
He, however, said the problems were manageable and could be reduced, assuring he would advance recommendations for contemporary modifications and interventions.
Promising to conduct similar assessments at other prisons around the country, Sylla said the misconduct of inmates towards prison officers “must be discussed, to have them resolved”.
“If not”, Sylla said, “they (inmates) will continue to create stress in the prisons, thus hampering the rehabilitation of prisoners.
“In this context, goals should be set to consistently teach and reinforce rules agreed by inmates and prison administrators.”
In a move to further identify with them, the Ministry of Youth and Sports provided three kits of various sporting equipment for use by inmates of the Monrovia Central Prison.
The Executive Mansion
