Developing an inspection manual for penitentiary establishments in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the objective of a workshop organized by the Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the Justice Reform Support Program (PARJ2) . This initiative aims to respond to the current challenges of the Congolese prison system, in particular the fight against prison overcrowding.
Prison overcrowding is a major problem in the DRC’s penitentiary establishments. This is largely due to long preventive detentions, the absence of alternative measures to detention and measures to reorganize sentences, as well as the lack of inspection and control of establishments. It is in this context that the Ministry of Justice has set up a division responsible for the inspection and internal control of penitentiary establishments, in order to provide a new working dynamic.
The objective of this workshop is to provide the DRC with an inspection and control manual to strengthen the internal control system of prisons. By providing the newly established division with the appropriate tools, it will be possible to ensure respect for the rights of prisoners and to guarantee the correct application of the legal provisions governing prison administration.
The work of the workshop takes place over a period of five days and brings together officials from the prison services directorate as well as the military prison administration. The objective is to refine the working tools with regard to inspections of penitentiary establishments. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the different inspection steps and techniques, in order to be better prepared during their field missions.
The workshop benefits from technical and financial support from PARJ2, as part of its actions aimed at strengthening the inspection of penitentiary establishments in the program’s intervention areas. This support is essential to guarantee the success of the implementation of the inspection manual and thus contribute to improving detention conditions in Congolese prisons.
In conclusion, the development of an inspection manual for penitentiary establishments in the DRC is an important initiative to face the challenges of the penitentiary system and fight against prison overcrowding. By providing appropriate tools to inspectors and strengthening the internal control system, it is possible to improve detention conditions and guarantee respect for the rights of detainees. This approach contributes to justice reform and the construction of a more just and equitable prison system in the DRC.