Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara has called for urgent reforms to Sierra Leone’s criminal justice system, citing prolonged pre-trial detention, overcrowding and delays in court proceedings following his recent experience at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road.
In an article titled “Lenses Behind Bars: A Prosecutor Becomes an Inmate,” Kamara reflected on spending almost a week at the correctional facility, describing how the experience changed his perspective on the challenges faced by people awaiting trial.
Kamara, who previously served as Senior State Counsel at the Law Officers’ Department, Deputy Prosecutor at the Special Court for Sierra Leone and Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, said his time in custody gave him a personal understanding of the consequences of delays in the administration of justice.
He declined to revisit the circumstances of his detention, stating that he respects the court, and instead focused on the wider challenges confronting detainees across the country.
“The measure of a criminal justice system is not how it treats a former Attorney-General who spends a week behind bars. It is how it treats the inmate who has no wig to remove, no Bar to return to and no voice to be heard,” Kamara wrote.
He argued that people awaiting trial can experience punishment through prolonged detention even before their guilt has been established by a court.
According to Kamara, the daily reality of imprisonment includes uncertainty over court dates, delays in accessing legal representation, separation from family members and difficult living conditions.
His concerns come amid longstanding reports of overcrowding in Sierra Leone’s correctional facilities. The World Prison Brief recorded 4,453 prisoners nationwide in February 2024, with 51.1 per cent awaiting trial or held on remand. More recent reporting in October 2026, citing the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, put the national inmate population above 7,000, although a detailed breakdown of the latest figure was not provided. [Sources: World Prison Brief; SierraLoaded, 5 October 2026]
The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone also reported in November 2025 that overcrowding, prolonged trials, delays in processing indictments and frequent adjournments remained major challenges across correctional facilities nationwide.
Kamara said his concerns about prolonged detention were not new. He recalled that, during his tenure as Attorney-General, his office secured the release of approximately 500 people within his first 100 days in office, while work with the Legal Aid Board helped resolve more than 1,500 cases and secure further releases.
He maintained that his recent experience reinforced the need to address systemic weaknesses rather than view prison overcrowding solely as a problem of infrastructure.
Among the measures he proposed are regular statutory reviews of remand cases to ensure that detainees have documented court dates and timely decisions on bail.
He also called for increased resources for the Legal Aid Board and the courts, including dedicated remand courts, improved case management and faster disclosure of evidence.
Other recommendations include expanding non-custodial measures, strengthening bail guidelines and introducing greater use of community service where appropriate.
Kamara stressed that such reforms would not undermine public safety but would instead ensure that the justice system operates lawfully and efficiently.
“These reforms are not soft on crime. They are hard on delay, illegality and neglect,” he wrote.
His intervention adds to ongoing calls for improvements in the country’s justice and correctional systems, particularly in reducing prolonged detention, protecting the rights of accused persons and ensuring that court proceedings are concluded without unnecessary delays.
Kamara concluded by urging the country to pay greater attention to the experiences of detainees whose cases remain unresolved and who lack the public platform or professional standing to draw attention to their circumstances.
Spear News Sierra Leone will continue to follow developments relating to access to justice, prison conditions and reforms to the criminal justice system.