What You Need to Know
The recent death of an inmate at Maseru Central Correctional Institution has prompted calls for urgent intervention and the introduction of food poison detection technologies. Lesotho Correctional Service officials emphasize the need for improved security measures to ensure inmate safety, following reports that the inmate died after consuming poisoned food brought by a visitor.
Africa-Press – Lesotho. The recent death of an inmate at Maseru Central Correctional Institution (MCCI) calls for urgent intervention and introduction of food poison detection technologies to strengthen further security measures and ensure safety of inmates.
This was said by Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) Public Relations Officer Assistant Superintendent Pheko Ntobane in an interview with the Agency, following a report that the death of the said inmate was allegedly caused by poisoned food which was brought by one of his visitors at the institution. It was also reported that the deceased shared the food with his two fellow inmates who were rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
Assistant Superintendent Ntobane said as much as food brought to inmates by visitors is always checked, there is need for detection technologies especially for sealed food.
“Food is always checked at the institution for safety and security reasons, to the extent that some inmates dislike the process” he added, assuring that measures to prevent similar incidents in future are underway.
Meanwhile, in its report, the Commission of Inquiry on the Escape of Inmates earlier revealed that amongst others, security measures at MCCI are disintegrated and severely compromised, indicating that deficiencies emanate from the structure of some of the buildings and the perimeter fence, careless deployment of human resources which utter failure to follow routine procedural checks and failure to maintain a proper balance between the three key elements of prison security.
It adds that MCCI does not have a robust first line of defence to uphold the safety and integrity of the facility, indicating that the entrance gate and some of unnecessary gates at the maximum facility are not religiously manned.
It therefore emphasized the need for correctional officers to cultivate positive relationships with inmates instead of making them enemies as this would help to easily gather information to anticipate security risks.
The Agency has learnt that the deceased, who was from Nazareth, was one of the murders accused of Former Disaster Management Authority Chief Executive Officer Mrs. Caroline Mahosi and her Son.
Maseru Central Correctional Institution (MCCI) has faced scrutiny over its security measures, particularly following a recent incident involving the death of an inmate. Reports indicate that the inmate died after consuming food that was allegedly poisoned, highlighting significant gaps in the institution’s food safety protocols and overall security framework.
The Commission of Inquiry on the Escape of Inmates previously noted that MCCI’s security measures are severely compromised, with deficiencies in building structures, perimeter fencing, and the deployment of personnel. These issues have raised concerns about the safety and integrity of the facility, necessitating immediate reforms to a
