By Yankuba Jallow with New Narratives
In the early 2000s, Ebrima was silently led through the rusted gates of Mile 2 Central Prison in handcuffs. Convicted of rape during the former regime of President Yahya Jammeh, he remembers his first night vividly — the darkness, the stench, the heat, and the fear.
“There was no light. No mattress. No doctor. If you got sick, you prayed,” he said, recalling the experience in a recent interview.
Ebrima served a sentence of nearly two decades in Miletwenty-yearng a teenage girl. Since leaving prison in 2023 he has expressed deep remorse for the crime. His time at Mile 2 allowed him to see dramatic reform in the prisons in the years after President Adama Barrow took office unseating the former dictator in elections in 2017.
“I left Mile 2 with skills to start my life and right now I am focused on the job.”
The Gambia’s prison system was once synonymous with cruelty. The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission exposed the full weight of that cruelty — from torture chambers and sexual exploitation to overcrowding, starvation, and indefinite detention without trial. Prisons like Mile 2, Janjanbureh, and Jeshwang were at the centre of that horror.
In its 2021 White Paper, the government accepted the Truth Commission’s recommendations for urgent reform. Four years later, the Gambia Prison Service said much has changed.
With the reforms came efforts to reskill inmates. Ebrima, whose name is being withheld because of the stigma of his crime, said he has come back into the world a changed man. He is now a satellite installer and sometimes takes electrical contracts.
“It is not like before,” agreed Erbima, speaking from home. “We used to feel like animals. Now, they treat us like people.”
A Culture in Transition
Assistant Superintendent Luke Jatta, the Prison Service Public Relations Officer, said the institution is in the midst of a transformation — from punitive detention to a rehabilitative correctional system.
“We are now heading to real correction,” he said. “When you say correction, it entails a lot — structures, management, dignity, and human rights.”
Jatta spoke during an in-depth interview conducted inside the Mile 2 Central Prison, where he walked this reporter through the institution’s upgraded infirmary, classrooms, vocational training spaces, and new holding cells. The visit offered a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a prison system trying to shed its past.
Since 2019, the government has invested in capacity building for prison officers. Officers have earned diplomas and degrees in fields such as law, midwifery, and mental health. Jatta himself graduated with a law degree under the government’s training initiative. “Before the TRRC, we didn’t even have graduates in the service. Now we have several,” he said.
Renovations and Cost of Reform
Aninvestmentsneh, the Director General of the Gambia Prison Service, said the government has made considerable investment in improving living conditions for inmates. He said the Seper centpent D7 million to expand and renovate some of the cells.
“It is not going to be easy to get it 100 percent,” he said.
He noted that the United Nations Development Program supported the renovation of two main dormitories, now equipped with bunk beds, replacing the old wooden frames. In addition, the government rehabilitated three long-abandoned cells that had been unfit for human occupation.
“The challenge is that the existing infrastructure is not in line with institutional best practice. The government is committed to addressing it,” he said.
He said overcrowding remains a serious challenge. Like Jatta, he called for a complete relocation from Mile 2 and the construction of a new prison that meets modern standards.
“Our aim is to transform the prisons from punishment to correctional center,” he said.
Improving Life Behind Bars
One of the most immediate reforms has been to food quality and health care. Under the Jammeh regime, inmates were fed once or twice a day with meagre, portions lacking nutrition and hygiene.
“We used to eat from the same pot every day,” Ebrima said. “Sometimes you eat stones with your rice. You would get sick and there would be no help.”
Today, Jatta said, food rations have doubled and dietary plans are guided by the National Nutrition Agency. Officers now receive training in food preservation and hygiene. “It’s not perfect,” Ebrima admitted. “But at least now, the food has taste. And we don’t fight for it like before.”
In the area of health, significant strides have been made. ActionAid The Gambia has helped fund the renovation of infirmaries, and officers have received training in primary health care. Jatta noted that cases of communicable diseases like tuberculosis — once a recurring threat inside Mile 2 — have dramatically declined. All incoming inmates are now screened on arrival to prevent disease spread.
“We used to treat ourselves with little access to health to health services. Our family members buy us tablets and smuggle them inside for us to use,” Ebrima recalled. “Now we have real nurses, trained people. There’s even a midwife.”
Ending the Era of Abuse
Torture, once institutionalized, is now officially outlawed in the prisons. “There is zero tolerance,” DG Manneh said firmly.
“Even the slightest slap is considered torture. Any officer found wanting is dismissed and handed over to the police,” PRO Jatta said.
Ebrima said this shift is visible. “In the old days, they beat us just for talking back. Now, they warn you, but they don’t touch you. Things have changed.”
Once rampant sexual harassment, particularly for female staff, is being addressed through the creation of an internal gender committee. Jatta, who serves on the committee, said capacity-building training has helped to dismantle a culture of silence. “We have not received any recent complaints. And unlike the past, no woman is being denied promotion because she refuses to submit,” he said.
The Prison Service Bill introduces gender-sensitive provisions including mandatory supervision of female inmates by female officers, prenatal and postnatal care, child welfare, monthly supply of sanitary products, and the establishment of crèches for babies in custody.
Human Rights Education and Skills Training
Manneh said the National Human Rights Commission annually trains 50 prison officers on human rights standards and obligations.
Last year, 245 inmates graduated with different skills acquired while in detention. In May 2025, another graduation ceremony was held for inmates who completed various vocational training programs.
Justice Within Reach
Under the former regime, many inmates languished in prison for years without ever seeing a judge. “You would just be incommunicado,” Ebrima said. “No one would tell your family. You waited. And waited.”
Now, “no one is detained without a valid court order,” Jatta said. “We have a general court list, and every week we coordinate with the judiciary. If there is a delay, we write to the Chief Justice’s office to enquire.”
New Legal Framework
Manneh said the newly enacted Criminal Offences Act and Criminal Procedure Code Act provide for both community service and custodial sentencing. He believes that if courts begin to implement community service in appropriate cases, it would significantly reduce congestion in prisons.
The Gambia Prisons Service Bill, 2024 complements this by establishing a Non-Custodial Service Committee and legal frameworks for parole, probation, and community service.
Accountability and Oversight
Regular oversight by the judiciary, National Assembly, National Human Rights Commission, and the Office of the Ombudsman has added a layer of transparency. Jatta said judicial committees now visit Mile 2 regularly, review case files, and sometimes order immediate releases.
“These bodies are holding us accountable,” he said. “We get their reports, and we act on them.”
Building Lives Behind Walls
The rehabilitation drive has reached new heights. Inmates now receive vocational training in tailoring, welding, electrical installation, soap making, satellite installation, carpentry, and more. Their handmade goods were featured at the 2024 International Trade Fair in Bakau, with all proceeds returned to the prisoners.
“If you are here long enough, you can leave with five different skills,” Jatta said.
The Prison Service Bill institutionalizes these rehabilitation initiatives and introduces a Provident Fund for discharged prisoners to support reintegration.
For inmates like Ebrima — who have seen the system at its worst — the changes are welcome.
“They say we’re prisoners,” he said. “But now, they treat us like human beings. For me, that is important because we do not live in fear now.”
Bubacar Keita renowned as Bob Keita was remanded in Mile 2 for 2 years facing prosecution for rape. He was released by the court after the DNA results obtained from a hospital in Ghana proved negative.
“Mile 2 is not fit for purpose. It is not a place where you should even place animals,” Bob said. “Everything there, from sanitation to overcrowding and access to water is all bad. Sometimes we go out of water and they would call the fire service (Gambia Fire and Rescue Service) to bring us water.”
Keita said Mile 2 is a bad place to detain any person. “I think the Government should consider closing it.”
He said they used to face challenges in the healthcare service at Mile, especially the medications available and called on the government to look into it.
He said the inmates have three meals daily and those in remand are allowed to receive food from their families. Keita stated that each convict only has 2 uniforms. “It’s bad. Everything there is bad.”
He expressed hope that the condition of the prisons will improve with time, especially with the introduction of skills education including computer classes.
