Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Minister of Justice admitted this Monday that, despite the expansion, the Praia Central Prison continues to face insufficient space, adding that the Government plans to create a high-security prison in the country.
Joana Rosa was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the opening of two training sessions for prison security officers, which are taking place within the framework of bilateral cooperation between the General Directorate of Prison Services and Social Reintegration of Cape Verde and Portugal.
“We still have insufficient space in the Praia Central Prison, where we have the majority of the prison population,” stated the minister, who explained that despite currently having more than 48 new cells, challenges related to installed capacity persist.
According to the governor, the new cells were built with improved conditions, aligned with human rights demands and the policy of humanizing prisons.
However, he stated that the Government is working on a new project to renovate and expand the Praia Central Prison, with the aim of strengthening the prison system’s response capacity.
“We will work in the future so that we can also have a high-security prison, a necessity for the country. Because, as you know, the world today, through the new phenomena that are emerging, will also demand mechanisms and public policies from the States so that the issue of security is not questioned,” he promised.
At this moment, he informed that the Praia Central Prison houses approximately 1,400 prisoners, while nationally the country has around 2,300 prisoners.
Regarding the issue of electronic tagging, Joana Rosa assured that the bidding phase for its implementation has already been completed and that the Government is now in the process of evaluating and structuring the project’s finances.
He acknowledged that it is a costly initiative, but one that needs to be implemented in the country.
The government intends, with the implementation of the electronic ankle bracelet, to monitor prisoners who are under house arrest or performing community service, as a way to reduce overcrowding in prisons.
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