By Theckla Gunga – EMTV News, Port Moresby
A visit into the Bomana Prison Compound has revealed the lack of proper kitchen utensils and other health concerns inmates are exposed to.
These includes the lack of proper kitchen sinks, overcrowding and the lack of towels and blankets.
National Court Judge, Justice Panuel Mogish, says while inmates are not supposed to live in luxury, they are entitled to live in a clean environment.
Justice Panuel Mogish was accompanied by Jail Commander, Kiddy Keko, and members of the Public Prosecutor and Solicitor to the prison compound.
The visit was to identify challenges inmates face while in custody. The team visited the two different compounds.
A compound accommodates 40 to 60 inmates, who share one toilet and a shower block.
The Bomana Prison was built in the 1960s, 15 years before Papua New Guinea gained independence.
But since then the National Government through the Ministry of the Correctional Services has not built one new facility at the main compound.
These buildings are almost 70 years old and has accommodated close to 1.5 million inmates since its establishment.
The challenges are the same in other prison facilities in Papua New Guinea; there are no proper kitchen facilities, water supply and other basic necessities like towels and blankets.
