Kinshasa, September 1st, 2021 (CPA).- Four draft laws relating to the reform of the Congolese prison system, finalized and adopted by the members of the Technical Group, were presented Tuesday to the Minister of State, Minister of Justice, Rose Mutombo, by the rapporteur of the said Group, Kizir Eden, with a view to their examination by the Interministerial Commission on Laws and Government Regulations.
These are the preliminary draft law on the fundamental principles of the penitentiary system, the one on the special status of the staff of the prison administration, the draft decree on the penitentiary system and the one on the creation, organization and functioning of the prison system. General Directorate of Prison Administration.
The rapporteur of the Technical Group said that the mission of this Group is also to develop projects relating to the rehabilitation or reconstruction of prisons and to revise all the texts governing the prison administration.
The DRC, she said, has 218 prisons, but only 117 are operational. Of the 117 operational, only 84 prisons are subsidized. 5 prisons are to be relocated from their current locations to other locations, 41 prisons are to be rehabilitated, 21 are to be rebuilt and 6 to be built.
Based on the current mapping, 23 prisons need to be pruned, since they do not exist, said Kizir Eden.
Reforms
She also informed that the Working Group has planned a significant reduction in the subsidy allocated to certain penitentiary establishments which benefit from more subsidies than others, to rebalance things, adding that a standard model of prison is in preparation to stop anarchic constructions of penitentiary model. But this can only be possible after the adoption of new prison laws that should conform to the Constitution, she proposed.
For Kizir Eden, these new texts will comply with the Constitution, in particular on respect for the rights of detained persons, especially since they lay fundamental foundations for the improvement of the management of penitentiary establishments. They also adapt the typology of penitentiary establishments to what is provided for in the Constitution, with this new typology where there will henceforth be remand centers, on the one hand, and prisons, on the other. go.
For her part, the Minister of State, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Rose Mutombo Kiese, thanked Monusco, which supported the technical team, adding that this reform could be a game-changer for the prison service in the DRC.
These draft laws are timely so that our places of detention are really used in due form by international standards, she said, while reassuring her perfect collaboration so that this project which has started can be operational during his tenure. « The school that has started will be able to help improve, strengthen the staff. When you are serving a large number of inmates, you have to be able to meet the standards and do your job well, ”she concluded.
ACP/