A specific need has been identified by the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) for assistance in building the capacity of prison management to lead the process of prison reform; including enhancing the capacity of the Southern Sudan Prisons Service (SSPS) to respond more effectively to the needs and circumstances of children, women and other groups in prison with special needs. The Southern Sudan Prison Reform Project is building the capacity of the Prisons Service as a whole to respond more effectively to the needs and circumstances of those groups within the prison population with special needs.

In January 2005, after over two decades of civil war, the region of Southern Sudan was granted autonomy by the Government of Sudan through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Because of this lengthy struggle, the Prison Service has all but been destroyed by war. Very few prison facilities have survived the impact of the war and the service itself is largely newly constituted. Prison personnel consist largely of demobilized soldiers and officers who require training and support. The legal framework is under review and prison policies and regulations require a complete revision based on the objectives of the SSPS and relevant international human rights and criminal justice standards.

Beginning in December 2007, the ICCLR, in close collaboration with its partners, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), and the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS); and with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada; embarked on an ambitious correctional capacity development program in Southern Sudan. The project is designed around a three-pronged approach to support the prison reform process and help meet three of the major prerequisites of sustainable change:

I. Building leadership capacity within the prison service: The project builds on the initial management and human rights training offered to prison managers in February 2007. This includes a number of elements such as training on information management and planning for selected prison staff at the Service's headquarters. Further training for prison managers is also a key requirement to ensure that a new generation of leadership is exposed to international prison standards and professional corrections management practices, particularly with respect to the management of prisoners with special needs.

II. Developing information management capacity: The Prison Service currently functions without reliable information on the prison population it manages. Prison registries and filling systems are inadequate and stand in the way of implementing better management practices. The project will focus on conducting a census of the current prison population and developing a snapshot, or profile of the prison population, its characteristics, and the needs of offenders. The results of this census will help identify the groups in prison who have special needs, develop strategies to address those needs, as well as serve as a basis for strategic planning and management training.

III. A strong locally-owned and comprehensive legislative and policy framework: The GoSS is in the process of finalizing new legislation on the Prison Service. That legislation will provide a framework for the development and implementation of a new set of prison policies and regulations inspired by human rights standards. The project will focus on helping the SSPS develop internal operational policies, regulations and standing orders for the full implementation of the new legislation and applicable international human rights and criminal justice standards.

A unique feature of this project is the fact that there is a project coordinator based in Juba, working closely with UNMIS and other international agencies on the ground. Having someone on the ground to help coordinate the efforts of the SSPS, UNMIS, UNODC and ICCLR has been critical to the success of the project so far.

Over the course of the next several months, the ICCLR and its partner agencies are working hard to help the SSPS provide its leaders, managers and staff with the tools and the know-how to operate a more effective and humane prisons service. The success of this project will be based on the continuing role of inter-agency cooperation and, most importantly, the value of strong, local ownership in the programme. For further information on this project, please contact the ICCLR or Vivienne Chin, Project Coordinator.

The project is funded by the Global Peace and Security Fund of the Government of Canada

All pictures contained on this site have been provided by Vivienne Chin and Mark Lalonde, 2008