At the Harper Prison we did not formally sit and interview the prisoners and did not compile case studies for Harper Prison as we did for Monrovia Central Prison. However, during our brief conversations with some of the prisoners, two particular cases did catch our attention and are worth mentioning here.

The first case was that of an adult male brought to our attention by Counselor Lemuel Reeves, counsel for the ABA in Harper. This individual was arrested, tried, and found guilty in 2007 for a charge of aggravated assault that was committed during the conflict. His trial and conviction did not occur at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but in the normal courts of Liberia. This case should have been dismissed from the courts and sent to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as soon as possible.

The second case was of an adult male who has been detained at the prison for four terms of the court, but has not yet been indicted. This is largely due to the fact that there is not a prosecutor in Harper. As put forth in section 2:18.2 of the Liberia Criminal Procedure Code, barring the showing of good cause, the court is to dismiss the cases of arrested individuals who are not indicted within two terms of court.

Following our visit to the prison we accompanied Minister Kparkillen to the courts, where these cases were immediately brought to the attention of the judge and defense counsel. It is our hope that they will now proceed in these cases as recommended.

To read the next section of this article: 7. Overall Recommendations and Conclusions

To return to the previous section of this article: 5. Harper Prison: Case Conditions.

You may wish to download this full article, with all sections, as a printable PDF here.