Viability of Private Prison Policy in Ethiopia

Belayneh Admasu Ejigu; Bereket Eshetu

doi:10.20372/bdujol.v11i1.1332

Belayneh Admasu Ejigu LL B, LL M (University of Amsterdam), Associate Professor of Law, School of Law, Bahir Dar University.
Bereket Eshetu LL.B, LL.M, Lecturer in Law, School of Law, Bahir Dar University.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20372/bdujol.v11i1.1332

Keywords: Ethiopia, Overcrowding, Detainees, Inmates, Private Prison, Viability

Abstract

International bills of rights address the treatment of detainees concerning their dignity. The 2011 criminal justice policy of Ethiopia also calls for decent treatment of detainees and inmates. However, study reports indicate that the existing condition of detainees and inmates in Ethiopia fails to comply with the minimum expected treatment level. They tend to suffer from high levels of overcrowding, lack of separate accommodation (based on sex, age, illness, and nature of the offender), severe occurrences of disease, malnutrition, and unhygienic conditions, absence of organized education and training platforms, and no hearing mechanism. This article attempted to assess the viability of private prisons, in Ethiopia, serving as an alternative public prison system, similar to approaches found in other nations namely, the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa. A qualitative research approach was employed in collecting and analyzing data. The findings revealed that there could be room for having correctional privatization in Ethiopia in addition to the utilization of alternatives to incarceration.

Author Biography

Belayneh Admasu Ejigu, LL B, LL M (University of Amsterdam), Associate Professor of Law, School of Law, Bahir Dar University.

International bills of rights address the treatment of detainees concerning their dignity. The 2011 criminal justice policy of Ethiopia also calls for decent treatment of detainees and inmates. However, study reports indicate that the existing condition of detainees and inmates in Ethiopia fails to comply with the minimum expected treatment level. They tend to suffer from high levels of overcrowding, lack of separate accommodation (based on sex, age, illness, and nature of the offender), severe occurrences of disease, malnutrition, and unhygienic conditions, absence of organized education and training platforms, and no hearing mechanism. This article attempted to assess the viability of private prisons, in Ethiopia, serving as an alternative public prison system, similar to approaches found in other nations namely, the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa. A qualitative research approach was employed in collecting and analyzing data. The findings revealed that there could be room for having correctional privatization in Ethiopia in addition to the utilization of alternatives to incarceration.