Freetown Central Prison, commonly known as Pademba Road Prison, is a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

on Pademba Road in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

. The prison was built to house 220 prisoners in the pre-independence era and now holds around 2,000 prisoners. Many prisoners were subject to prolonged stays in holding cells because of a massive backlog in court cases.

History

Formal incarceration resulting from criminal offences in

began in 1787. At that time, abandoned slave ships were used as makeshift prisons. The first purpose built prison building in the country was built in

, at the location of the current State House (Sierra Leone), State House, the official residence and principal workplace of the

President of Sierra Leone The president of the Republic of Sierra Leone is the head of state and the head of government of Sierra Leone, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. As the head of the executive branch of the Sierra Leone government, the presi ...

. Some years later, the prison was moved to a new location in the city, which is currently the location of the

Connaught Hospital Connaught Hospital is the principal adult referral hospital in Sierra Leone. Connaught Hospital was opened in 1912 by the Duke of Connaught, Prince Arthur. President Kabbah re-opened the hospital on May 5, 2006, alongside the Princess Christian ...

. The present Freetown Central Prison, located on Pademba Road, was founded on 14 March 1914, by the British colonial authorities. In 2010, a number of high security prisoners, including those convicted of murder and armed robbery, escaped from the prison, precipitating a manhunt. Prison officers claimed an official figure of 19 escapees, although some eye witnesses claimed the number was 30. The escapees were armed with a pistol, which they fired close to the prison's main gate, causing the guards to flee. They then escaped through the main gate, during the day. National director of jails, Moses Showers, was sacked following the break out and 18 people, including prison officers, were arrested. In 2013, with the prison population sitting at over 1000, against a design capacity of just 300 inmates, the government initiated proposals to relocate it.

References

"Fighting for Rights in Sierra Leone"
by Open Society in West Africa, 2006

{{coord, 8, 29, 00, N, 13, 13, 59, W, region:SL_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Prisons in Sierra Leone Buildings and structures in Freetown