Avoid prison at all costs: 2800 people squeeze into Maula in a place of 800 people

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Maula Prison

If you like some space and privacy in your life then just make sure you avoid offending the law, Malawi24 can advise.

Authorities at Maula Prison says the facility is congested, a situation which has led to increased demand for food, other items and easy transmission of contagious infections and illnesses.

The prison’s officer in-charge Kalirani Mwale said this during a meeting with traditional leaders and community members at Nsaru Trading Centre in Lilongwe.

The meeting was held as part of the Adult Diversion Project which is being implemented by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP).

Maula Prison
Maula Prison congested.

Mwale said Maula is the biggest prison facility in the central region and was designed to accommodate 800 inmates but now it has 2800 prisoners. More than two times double the figure it had to accommodate.

He added that the facility requires bags of flour and nine bags of beans per day but what they get from government is very little.

According to Mwale, the Adult Diversion Project – which advocates for elimination of prison sentences for smaller offences – will help in alleviating challenges that the institution together with other prisons is facing.

In his remarks, CCJP monitoring and evaluating officer Enock Kamundi said under the project, the organisation will ensure that justice is done without necessarily sending the suspects to prison.

Kamundi said: “Some of the offences that people commit do not necessarily require a prison sentence as they can be dealt with by traditional leaders.”