Examining Prisoners' Treatment Practices in Prison Centers in Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine prisoners' treatment practices in prison centers in Oromia National Regional State. The study was limited to examining right of freedom from inhuman treatment, right to work and opportunity to generate income, access to sport and recreation, visitors' access to prisons, right to transfer, right to lodge complains, right to access information, right to religion and disciplinary measures upon prisoners. To achieve this stated objective, both qualitative and quantitative research approaches were employed. The study used descriptive type of research strategy to describe the situations that exist in prison centers at the time of study. Twenty (20) administrative zones in the region were clustered into four (Eastern, Western, Central and Southern) and a total of 7 zones with their respective zonal prisons (except for Oromia Special Zone Around Finfinne which has no Zonal level prison) randomly selected using lottery method.  Further, 7 district level prisons were selected randomly from sampled zones using lottery method, which mean one district from each zone. The only prison TVET in the region was purposely included in the sample. Both primary and secondary data were used. Prison leaders, prison staff and prisoners were the major sources of primary data, whereas secondary data were collected from Oromia Prison Administration Commission reports, prison centers, published and online sources. Both open-ended and closed-ended questionnaire, interviews, FGD, observation and document analysis were used as data collection instruments.

  The study revealed that torture and arbitrary beating were found to be very rare problems. Prisoners were involved in different income generating businesses. The right of religion was respected so that worship areas were allocated for different religions and, no significant problems were found in relation to visitor's access to prisoners. However, businesses run by prisoners had no support, training and, credit access, and there was poor market linkage for prisoners' products and services. Unethical prison staff use prisoners' labor freely as well as made them work for others freely. Moreover, the study identified poor access and supply of sport and recreational facilities in almost all prison centers. Income generating businesses, sport and recreation facilities, and worship areas were confined to male premises and female detainees denied equal access to these facilities. Media for information access were found to be limited to TV and Radio, and poor access for books, newspapers and internet. The study also revealed that arbitrary disciplinary measures such as forced labor and free services were taken as a punishment on prisoners and disciplinary committees fail to stick to disciplinary procedures.

 Based on the findings of the study the following recommendations are made: Oromia Prison Administration Commission and Prison Centers required encouraging income generating activities (cooperative and personal ventures) through training, support, credit access and creating market linkages for prisoners' products and services. It is also important to make prison services and facilities equally accessible for female prisoners. Avoiding enforcing prisoners to give free service and forced labor, and developing systems that help check up on prisons disciplinary committees to make them follow transparent and predetermined disciplinary procedures. Further, clear and well-established complaint handling system and opening doors to receive complains from those prisoners who feel prejudice as well as diversifying the types of media through which prisoners get up-to-date information will improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation and reformation programs besides responding to prisoners' right. Moreover, prisons required to provide space, facilities and equipment and allow prisoners to frequent daily physical exercises. Lastly, Oromia Prison Commission needs to look for best practices from Mekele Prison Center and adapt it to the regional context.