The Sierra Leone Correctional Service (SLCS) reports that it is currently managing more than 7,000 inmates across the country. This number is being handled by fewer than 2,000 correctional officers. The SLCS Director General, Joseph J. Senessie, disclosed these figures during the 2027 Annual Bilateral Budget Hearing. The event was organised by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
The significant gap between the inmate population and available correctional personnel is putting considerable pressure on the Service. This pressure limits its ability to effectively provide security, rehabilitation, and other services to inmates. Senessie appealed to the Government to approve the recruitment of an additional 1,500 correctional officers. This recruitment is part of efforts to improve the staff-to-inmate ratio and strengthen operations across the country.
The SLCS's proposed priorities for the 2027 financial year include the recruitment of additional officers. The Service also proposed programmes focused on inmate rehabilitation, infrastructure development, and the expansion of correctional facilities. The latest figure of over 7,000 inmates represents a substantial increase over previously published national prison population figures. In February 2024, the World Prison Brief recorded 4,453 prisoners.
The country's correctional system is officially designed to accommodate 2,495 inmates. However, the current inmate population has far exceeded this capacity. The United States Department of State had earlier reported that Sierra Leone's 21 prisons held 5,561 people in August 2023. A large proportion of Sierra Leone's prison population has historically consisted of people held on remand.
Overcrowding is one of the major challenges identified by the SLCS. This is particularly significant at facilities such as the Freetown Male Correctional Centre, Bo Male Correctional Centre, Makeni Correctional Centre, and Kenema Male Correctional Centre. The Freetown Male Correctional Centre, originally designed for about 324 to 346 inmates, was holding 1,509 prisoners in 2025.
The staffing challenge is not new. A 2024 Management and Functional Review of the SLCS indicated that the Service should have a staff strength of 3,550. However, the actual strength was about 2,030. The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone's nationwide monitoring of 20 correctional centres in 2025 identified overcrowding as a major concern.
The SLCS is proposing the construction of new correctional centres in several locations. It is also proposing a hospital at the Freetown Male Reintegration Centre to serve inmates, correctional officers, and surrounding communities. The Service's proposed recurrent budget for 2027 is NLe194.29 million, against a ceiling of about NLe149.53 million.
Key points
- The Sierra Leone Correctional Service is seeking to recruit 1,500 additional officers to address staffing challenges.
- The country's prison population has exceeded 7,000 inmates, far surpassing the official capacity of 2,495.
- Overcrowding and staffing shortages are major challenges facing the SLCS.
