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Somalia Prison System
The few prisons that existed before 1960 had been established
during the British and Italian colonial administrations. By
independence these facilities were in poor condition and were
inadequately staffed.
After independence the Somali government included in the
constitution an article asserting that criminal punishment must
not be an obstacle to convicts' moral reeducation. This article
also established a prison organization and emphasized prisoner
rehabilitation.
The Somali Penal Code of 1962 effectively stipulated the
reorganization of the prison system. The code required that
prisoners of all ages work during prison confinement. In return
for labor on prison farms, construction projects, and
roadbuilding, prisoners received a modest salary, which they
could spend in prison canteens or retain until their release. The
code also outlawed the imprisonment of juveniles with adults.
By 1969 Somalia's prison system included forty-nine facilities, the best-equipped
of which was the Central Prison of Mogadishu. During the 1970s, East Germany
helped Somalia build four modern prisons. As opposition to Siad Barre's regime
intensified, the country's prisons became so crowded that the government used
schools, military and police headquarters, and part of the presidential palace
as makeshift jails. Despite criticism by several international humanitarian
agencies, the Somali government failed to improve the prison system.
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