After completing his/her investigation, the police officer hands over the file of the suspect to the State Prosecutor who then charges the suspect.5 When the police investigation is completed, the suspect is immediately removed from the police station and sent to a prison. He/she is taken from prison each time his/her case comes before the court for hearing. The suspect ceases to be called a suspect and is now called a prisoner and the duty of the police with regard to that prisoner is completed. While in prison, there is no differentiation between suspects and convicted prisoners. They are all mixed and treated the same way. In all the prisons, there is a “holding cell” for new-comers, where those who have been transferred to prison spent about fifteen days before being allocated cells. These “holding cells” are usually the most crowded and dirty. Most of the “newcomers” do not have blankets or mattresses as the government does not provide them. So, some of them sleep on very thin foams or sheets on bare floor. (a) Female inmates All the detention centres visited, except Ziway Prison and the Awasa Woreda I Police Station, have female inmates. Unlike the male sections, the female sections of the prisons are cleaner and less crowded. In the Kaliti prison, there are only 8 women occupying 1 large cell, in the Adama Woreda I Police Station, there are only 2 teenage girls and in Adama Prison, there are 27 women, and the same number in Dire Dawa Prison. In the Addis Ababa prison, the female cells are called villas. Even though the cells are well kept, some of the “villas” are overcrowded. There is a separate section for nursing mothers and expectant mothers. The toilets are not very clean and the section for nursing mothers a bit untidy. The female sections of the Awasa, Arba Minch and Harar prisons are also crowded and the spaces very small for any outdoor activities. In the Harar prison for example, there are 74 women sharing about 4 small cells. They complain about overcrowding in the cells and outside the cells as they do not even have space to engage in recreational services. A remarkable feature of all the prisons is the fact that the female sections are well separated from the male section and guarded by female guards. In all the prisons with female inmates, there are also children detained with their mothers. According to Ethiopian prison regulations, these children are supposed to remain with their mothers until they reach the age of 18 months. Thereafter, the authorities, in collaboration with their mothers and their families would release the children if their families are prepared to accept them, or to a charitable organisation, if they are willing to adopt the children. However, in most cases, the families of the mothers are not prepared to accept the children and there are few charitable organisations willing to shoulder 5 It was also noted that the police officer also sends a report of his/her investigation to the court. The Special Rapporteur was informed that this is to enable the courts to call up the matter should the suspect not be brought to court by the Prosecutor within reasonable time. 25 Report of the Mission of the Special Rapporteur on Prisons to Ethiopia 15 – 29 March 2004