16 Prisons: What Lies Behind These Walls? Tales of Liberian Correction Facilities

 

Monrovia, Liberia, has yet to pass into law its Correction Service Act (LCS), an act that should maintain and administer all corrections institutions, unlike the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation that is currently in place.

The act establishes the Liberia Corrections Service (LCS), a national agency tasked with managing and reforming all correctional facilities across the country. The agency will be responsible for improving prison infrastructure, professionalizing correctional services, and promoting the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates.

Among the key provisions of the legislation are safeguards for the rights of inmates, the development of rehabilitation and skills training programs, enhanced training and recruitment for corrections officers, and the creation of accountability and oversight mechanisms to monitor prison conditions and management.

The act promotes restorative justice by shifting focus from punitive detention to rehabilitation and reintegration—a move that advocates say could reduce repeat offenses and yield long-term social and economic gains.

The Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation (BCR) was established by law in 1969 in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Law (1969-70); the division of Corrections is composed of three administrative subdivisions, namely the Bureau of Correctional Institutions, the Bureau of Probation, and the Board of Parole, all of which are within the Ministry of Justice.  Legislation in 2010 and 2012 provided for the Bureau of Probation & Parole and the Board of Parole, respectively.

These divisions currently are subsidiaries of the Ministry of Justice, as compared to the LCS, where the institution will be a semi-autonomous paramilitary agency with only supervision from the Ministry of Justice.

The BCR is Liberia’s third component of the criminal justice system, but the body faces herculean challenges, including prison overcrowding and budgetary allocations that affect staffing and operations.

Following a freedom of information request filed by The Stage Media, Assistant Minister of the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation Atty. Gabriel Ndupellar said the delay in the passage of the Liberia Correction Service Act is impeding the smooth running of correctional operations in the country. 

Liberia has 16 prisons, and, according to Ndupellar, excluding the National Palace of Corrections at Zwedru, all facilities nationwide are overcrowded. 

According to him Sanniquellie, Voinjama, Kakata, Bopolu, Barclayville, Robertsport, and MCP (Cheesemanburg and Bensonville)  have space for expansion works.

He said Monrovia Central Prison (MCP) houses almost half of the total inmates nationwide, and this has prompted decision-makers to consider its relocation from Monrovia to Cheesemanburg, where an administrative building was completed in 2014/15, and fencing of the facility has commenced with support from the fiscal year  2025 budget. 

As of April 2026, the number of inmates in all the facilities was 3,768. 1,118 of this number have been sentenced, while 2,650 are detainees awaiting sentencing

The  MCP in Montserrado is the largest prison center  in Liberia. It was built for 337 inmates; however, as of April 2026, the number of inmates was around  1,794.

According to Atty. Ndupellar, the total capacity for inmates at the sixteen prisons nationwide is 1,350, while the population as of the moment is 3,711. “This defines prison overcrowding as a factor of population. Therefore, construction of modern prisons and expansion of existing facilities cannot be overly emphasized, as it is of urgency.” 

He said while it is not their pleasure, the BCR turns down commitments from courts at times due to one of three reasons: that the defendant/inmate is not medically fit as a contravention to their Standard Operating Procedure, as a result of late arrival, as the code of conduct prohibits admission beyond 6:00 pm except where the interest of the State is at risk and the facilities are extremely overcrowded.

“We sometimes reject non-violent offenders and those of petit larceny to accommodate major and high-risk offenders.”

 

Each county has a very different rate of female incarceration. According to the data, there are more women incarcerated than there are women who have been sentenced. 

In comparison to other counties, Montserrado has the greatest rate of female incarceration at Monrovia Central Prison (73), and Robertsport has three, and there are no female juveniles incarcerated or sentenced. 

Ndupellar said the Ministry of Justice's Division of Correction comprises the Bureau of Correctional Institutions (Prisons), the Bureau of Probation and Parole, and an Independent Parole Board, all of which are administered and supervised by his office.

He said Probation Services and Prisons are the same, and the BCR works cordially with Magistrates, particularly through the Magistrates Sitting Program, which allows the BCR to make a list of inmates who have overstayed in prisons beyond the statutory period for misdemeanors.

This list is then presented to the assigned Magistrates to dismiss those cases and discharge the inmates/defendants.

 Public Defenders play a critical role in prison management through visitations to prisons and by making motions for indigents who have overstayed, thereby violating their rights to a fair and speedy trial, as well as for those with mental challenges.

 Ndupellar said pre-trial detainees nationwide are three times more than convicts, and this shows a reversal of the formal correctional system. BCR Leadership has been reporting this to stakeholders, including the Judiciary and human rights institutions.

He said 70 percent of Liberia's prison population has never been convicted of a crime, exposing what he described as a systemic breakdown across the country's entire justice chain.

Of 3,768 inmates currently held in correctional facilities nationwide, 2,650 are pretrial detainees still awaiting trial. Only 1,118 have been convicted.

"This should be alarming for us as a country," Ndupellar said, noting that in a functioning justice system, convicted prisoners—not pretrial detainees—should constitute the majority of the prison population.

He described magistrate courts operating with as little as a single clerk and said the absence of public defenders at courts of first instance leaves poor defendants without legal representation at the most critical early stages of their cases—a gap he said disproportionately keeps vulnerable citizens behind bars for extended periods without trial.

"These are not isolated issues," Ndupellar said. "They are entrenched problems that continue to deny justice to ordinary Liberians."

The remarks were delivered at the Temple of Justice under the convention theme "Enhancing Access to Justice: The Protection of Rights in the Criminal Justice System" and were attended by court administrators, prosecutors, and international partners, including the United Nations Development Programme.

Of the total of 214 foreign inmates, Sierra Leoneans have the highest incarceration rate in Liberia, followed by Nigerians and Guineans. Senegalese, Malians, Lebanese, and Togolese nationals are the least, according to the BCR.

There are a total of 148 foreign detainees, with Sierra Leone and Guinea topping the list, while 66 are sentenced, with Sierra Leone and Nigeria topping.

The data showed that 14 are female and 34 are male detainees. Additionally, there are no female senegalese neither nigerien who are sentenced or detained.

Ndupellar said many foreign inmates in prisons, apart from the Monrovia Central Prison, have difficulty having access to authorities of their Embassies or Permanent Missions; therefore, having a next of kin is a challenge when profiling them within the record and database.

“The Embassies of Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea have been regularly updated with reports of their nationals in safe custody along with the nature of their charges through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. BCR has anticipated that those authorities, during scheduled visitations, caution their citizens on how to behave and stay out of trouble while in a foreign land.”

Presidential Clemency

According to Ndupellar, from 2024 to the present, 185 inmates have been granted presidential pardons.

Month | Number 
December 24, 2024   |   38 convicts
July 25, 2025  |   75 convicts
December 24, 2025  |     72 convicts

 

Presidential clemency is granted two times a year. Ndupellar said the increment in the number of beneficiaries of presidential clemency or extending the time from twice a year is replete without first supporting the nearly set up Independent Parole Board, which has the responsibility to visit prisons nationwide and verify the good behavior reports of convicts as recorded by prison authorities for possible recommendation to the Presidency through the chain of command.

 In 2025, the beneficiaries included two foreign nationals from the Republic of Guinea, two women, and two juveniles, with the remaining recipients being adult males.

The selection of inmates was based on clearly defined criteria, including demonstrated good behavior, the length of time already served, and the nature of their offenses, which were largely minor.

According to the Executive Mansion, executive clemency is not an automatic right but a privilege extended to inmates who demonstrate remorse, discipline, and respect for the rules governing correctional institutions.

 Speaking on prison trends, including prison overcrowding, foreign inmates, gender in prisons, and how  Liberia can tackle the mass incarceration of pre-trial detainees,  Ernest Robert, a Liberian correction expert, says first inmates must be classified to develop what’s called the “criminogenic need," basically finding suitability for rehabilitation and susceptibility for recidivism.

 

"Looking at the likelihood of reoffenders or being reintegrated into society. We look at commitment offenses, age, social and economic characteristics, educational level of inmates, etc."

With his knowledge of the US correction system, Robert thinks that appropriate housing is based on age, prison mission, commitment offenses, and likelihood of rehabilitation, including gender-appropriate housing programs and services. 

"We expedited prosecution and diversion programs to alleviate mass incarceration. We sent drug users to drug courts and diversion programs."

Robert says in the US, credit for good behavior in prison is given to inmates on a basis. "For example, if you’re sentenced to 2 years for robbery, for every one day you go without an incident or write up, one day is waived from your sentence. 

On the level of prison population. Certain lower points went to county versus prison.

"We utilize prison labor as an incentive for rehabilitation and reintegration. Ex-prisoners do California license plates and combat wild fires in California, and after prison, they have a job, etc." 

Robert said Liberia agriculture is a key community or municipalities can utilize prison labor and pay for services."