Speakers
Rose Sarr
Workshop Session
By examining the functioning of the Senegalese prison system, we realize that the history that has accompanied the care of inmates has evolved in a positive way. The Ministry of Justice has initiated reforms aimed at improving detention conditions and combating the harms of incarceration. In the justice sector programme, emphasis has been placed on the care aspect of prisoners. Today, in the wake of the expansion of the public space, the prison institution has become a political, legal and humanitarian issue around which multiple actors cooperate or confront each other with often very different approaches and objectives. All the institutional solutions envisaged to improve conditions of detention and reduce prison overcrowding are of a judicial nature. The Prison Administration is taking advantage of these institutional solutions, by devoting itself more to its mission of preparing for the return to prison.
However, the Prison Administration does not claim to have solved the problem related to the harms of incarceration given the particularity of this area in Senegal. However, the qualitative and quantitative efforts that have been made have had an impact on the well-being of the detainees should be recognized. If we compare it to other countries that are in the same conditions of historical development, Senegal has made significant progress that can inspire. Indeed, in terms of infrastructure, the rehabilitation and refurbishment of some prisons has allowed the expansion and ventilation of the premises. The social and political transformations noted since 2000 have pushed different groups in society to define new objectives. At the legislative and regulatory level, the amendments made to the CPP and the SCC, and the signing of Decree 2001-362 have constituted instruments of integration and opened the way for partners. This novelty has become a key element in the fight against the dissocializing effects of incarceration through the expression of Senegalese solidarity in prisons. An analysis of the impact and contribution of partners in Senegalese prisons shows that it is of paramount importance. It should be mentioned that this emergence of benefactors has a positive influence on the prison space. It is imperative to recall, in conclusion, that in order to fight for the well-being of prisoners, everyone have to draw inspiration from the humanist approach of some who have opted to assist and not judge the convicted person for the execution of his sentence.
