The number of Angolan prison inmates has grown by 8,000 over the past six years, bringing the current prison population to more than 29,000, the director-general of Angola’s Prison Service, Bernardo Gourgel, announced today.
Of the total, 15,594 are in pre-trial detention and 13,428 are serving sentences. Gourgel, speaking to Angolan news agency ANGOP on the occasion of the Prison Service’s 47th anniversary on Friday, said the country currently has 43 prison establishments, highlighting overcrowding as one of the main challenges they face.
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He also noted that 80% of prison infrastructure was inherited from the colonial era, with most already in a state of deterioration. “This means that the prisons, in the state they are in, require constant vigilance. We cannot in any way be distracted, at the risk of less desirable situations arising in penitentiary establishments,” Gourgel said.
He announced that four new prisons are scheduled to open this year in the provinces of Bié, Huíla, Namibe and Cunene, with construction already more than 70% complete.
