The Daru Correctional Service institution needs a major overhaul to its facilities after being condemned since 2019, to date nothing has been done to rehabilitate the facility.
The Western Provincial Health authorities had condemned the facility after many detainees in the prison had suffered from serious illnesses.
Since 2019, little to no support has come has come forth when the facility will be improved and maintained.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the CS institute struggles to keep in line with the measures, which jail authorities believe will be hard to manage, unless government support comes home soon.
Daru Acting Jail Commander, Lena Apuri says they are still waiting for funding from South Fly and Western Provincial Administration.
“We have received some funding from CS Commissioner, but we are still waiting for support from the district administrations. The district and provincial government promised us some money and we are waiting for those funds to come in, so we can start work immediately and get the CS facilities maintained,” he said.
Mr Apuri said Daru has the police, courts but the jail facility must be improved so all can function together. He said Daru is in a strategic location that shares two international boarders, Australia to the south and Indonesia to the west.
He said: “It does not make sense when we have the police and the courts in Daru and yet the CS services is lacking. It is not safe for offenders to be seen in public. We need to get the CS prison running.”
Apart from the prison, Mr Apuri said staff housing is also in very bad condition.
“We tried our best to maintain the staff houses but needs more work. We need financial support to get things rolling. Our staff are not motivated to work and we do not have prisoners in the prison, the CS prison is condemned. We need government support.”