Jail food 100% in order

Complaints laid at the Office of the Ombudsman of below standard and too few meals for trial-waiting prisoners were found to be untrue, according to an internal investigation ordered by the safety ministry this year.

The investigation was launched following an April letter addressed to minister Charles Namoloh in which Ombudsman John Walters raised his concerns following multiple complaints to his office that food provided to trial-awaiting inmates were not in line with prescribed international standards, to which Namibia is a signatory.

Walters said this week that by last Friday he had not yet received acknowledgement or a response from the ministry.

In a response to Namibian Sun yesterday, safety permanent secretary Threphine Kamati said the ministry had directed regional police commanders to investigate the alleged shortages and quality of food in holding cells.

Feedback from “all confirmed that trial-awaiting inmates are still being fed as prescribed”.

“So far, no police holding cells are affected by the shortage of food,” Kamati said.

She said trial-awaiting prisoners countrywide are being fed “with the quality and sufficient nutritional food, as per feeding requirements, which range from fruits, vegetables, dry rations, beef, chicken, pork and fish, just to mention a few”.

Kamati said a shortage of trial-awaiting prisoner meals is “only experienced when there is a delay due to suppliers not responding to the bidding invitations and in such cases, emergency arrangements are usually being made to ensure that prisoners are fed accordingly”.

She added the ministry is in the process of contracting companies for a period of two years to provide inmates with meals.



Rights violation

Walters' letter informed the ministry in April that his office has been “inundated with concerns about the quality and quantity of food provided to trial-awaiting inmates” and he felt compelled to bring it to the attention of the ministry, which handles the police budget.

He told Namibian Sun recently he had received recent complaints on the issue and during a visit to a police cell this year the problem was confirmed by the officers on duty.

He said instead of the prescribed menu, complainants described porridge of low quality along with “small pieces of fish” that don't adhere to the set standardised jail menus, which are compiled in line with the United Nations minimum standard rules for the treatment of prisoners.

He told Namibian Sun that unless the issue is resolved, he would be failing in his duty if he did not take the next step, which includes legal action.

He said neglecting to provide food according to prescribed standards is a human rights violation and a lack of budget is no excuse.

Walters added that if budget constraints are the cause of the alleged problem, then fewer detainees should be kept in detention cells.

“If you can't feed them, then why detain them?”

Walters proposed two solutions to the problem.

He said while “the budgets of our offices are stretched to the limit and we are expected to do more with little, I wish to suggest that the minister requests the Namibian police force, the ministry of justice and the office of the judiciary to make a concerted effort and to take all measures to reduce the number of trial-awaiting inmates at our facilities”.

Walters said additional solution is to request additional funds from treasury, while “emphasising Namibian's obligations regarding treatment of inmates under international rights law”.

On the issue of reducing trial-awaiting prisoners, Kamati said a criminal justice action reform task force that include the police, prosecution authority and judiciary, has been appointed and is “making good progress in taking all measures necessary to reduce the overcrowding”.









JANA-MARI SMITH