Riot There was a riot in 1993 when those on remand demanded an immediate trial. l'uniLit»ent 1 he only punishment was isolation in disciplinary cells. The gravity of the offence determined the length of confinement. Maximum penod of confinement was 30 days but in rare cases (escape or attempt to escape), it could be 60 days. From the disciplinary cells one could go out only twice, and this to the bathroom. Hygiene The prison had no money to buy soap and cleaning material for the inmates. From October to December, therefore, there had been no supply of soap. Food was the priority concern. The Director expressed the hope that the new budget would enable the needs of the inmates to be met. He noted that he did not receive any assistance beuoncl the budget from anywhere. young child with her. 96 prisoners had been transferred to an open prison the previous day, the Director stated. The general state of the building was very poor with stains, banisters and ceilings threatening to collapse. The walls were extremely dirty and stagnant waste water was all over the small compound, and the scent it produced could be imagined. Male Section Ground Floor Cell 1: you were hit with a pungent foul odour, on entering. A number of the 18 inmates were in tattered clothes. Thomas Sinamunda Chawasini, 55 complained that he needed surgery from an acute ailment with his stomach. An elderly looking inmate gave his age as 64. Another inmate was suffering from tuberculosis. Reserved for the sick, the inmates said sometimes they got medicine from the hospital, but on other occasions, they had nothing. Cell 2 was also for sick inmates, and was in a similar state as Cell I . Visits and X 01 I \ pontkm,e An inmate is allov.ed 2 :;sits per month although in cases of emergency extra visits are permitted. Inmates were allowed to write and receive letters without limit Letters going out and coming in are, however, censored. Traminz of Guards They weie trained but their morale was getting low as their work got more difficult with the overcrowding and its attendant problems. The relationship between guards and inmates was generally good. But occasionally some guards beat the inmates. Whenever this happened the guards involved were disciplined. Games The prison was so small that no games were played in it. In Camera Discussion With Inmates The Director was, at first, not disposed to allowing me to talk to the inmates alone since he had not received a programme for my visit. But eventually, he relented. Female Section Disciplinary Cell There were 11 people in this small cell of approximately 8 sq. metre. One inmate claimed to have been in confinement for 57 days for smoking hard drug. A second person who allegedly tried to escape from the hospital had been in confinement for 40 days. They came out twice, to eat and bath. None of them had a blanket, and there was no light in the cell. First Floor All the cells were extremely overcrowded. In none was there sleeping space for all of them. "Terrible" sums up the condition in the cells: it is unimaginable how all the inmates could fit into the cells. In a final discussion with the Director of the prison on I December 1997, he indicated that the new prison should be ready in Jul) I 99 \ It would be a modern prison with carpentry, mechanics and sewing workshops It would also have a kitchen, a dining hall and a wing for farming. The Director wanted to know about prison conditions elsewhere. In response, I stated that the background and history of Mozambique should always be kept in mind but pointed out that it was nevertheless possible to adopt measures which could improve prison conditions. Only female guards worked there. The inmates complained that the food was not well cooked. Catholic nuns visited them, and gave them milk. One inmate had her 24 25