By: Adama Makasuba
Janjanbureh Prison commissioner, Baboucarr Jatta, who appeared Tuesday as the eighth witness to testify before the Truth Commission at the Dunes hotel has called for the closure of Mile II Prison and recommend a new prison to be built as he recount the deplorable condition of the Prison.
Jatta, who was a medic at the prison, described Mile II to be in a very bad condition since the first republic to date but that the overcrowdings began after the 1994 coup.
“We have to build a new structure and condemn Mile II. Mile II is built in swamp… I recommend…to have satellite prisons,” he told the commission while called on the authorities to consider prisons officers as he said they (prison officers) don’t have health allowance and that wages are poor,” he said.
He added: “The general condition of prison is very poor even the time of Jawara to date. As I said since Jawara and Jammeh’s time to date nothing changed,” adding that the consequence to overcrowding of prison was due to detention of prisoners without committing warrants and cheap sentencing.
He further described the food condition at Mile II after the 1994 coup to be unhealthy for human consumption, adding it inflicted beriberi disease on many prisoners.
He said when Chogan and co were physically tortured by Sanna and co and that they were restricted attaining to further medication at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital.
“The council told us that keep them until we need them. Nobody was there to question them because they were armed and were armless,” he told the commission.
He called for reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration has to be done, adding that prison personnel don’t have health allowances and their wages are very poor as he urged the authorities to consider prison personnel.
He added: “They say only uneducated people are in the prison. I feel marginalize…we need to go for the actions. They only have interest in the prison when there is jail break.”
Jatta, whose testimonies was halted Monday to Tuesday further called on Gambians to come and join the prison department and urged the authority to consider the welfare of the prison personnel.