DRC: Overcrowded Makala Prison Suspends New Admissions

The DRC Ministry of Justice has temporarily suspended new admissions to the Kinshasa Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Center, except in cases with a duly justified exemption. Built to hold 1,500 people, Makala Prison currently houses 16,155 detainees, including 303 women and 201 children in conflict with the law. Justice Minister Guillaume Ngefa said the temporary measure responds to security, health and humanitarian concerns, as aging facilities, limited medical care and inadequate food compound detention conditions. On October 15, Ngefa and Firmin Mvonde, prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation, visited Makala to assess conditions.