Assault and battery by prisoners, at the command of the guards, was rife. This occurred on the least pretext, like an argument among the inmates. 45 lashes with baton was not uncommon. They were also put into leg irons. Equally, gendarme and prison guards were not absolved of this charge. Two allegations against gendarmes bear restatement. "If you arrive at the prison, you have to give the gendarmes one thousand francs." Their complaints and problems were not entertained by the chief guard. They were not taken to hospital when they were sick. "On the day of discharge, a prisoner will have to pay money at the secretariat, if he does not want to leave the prison premises in the evening." The complaints included corruption. "If you do not have money, the prosecutor will not sign your papers. Even if you give money to the magistrate, the prosecutor will ask for money," one prisoner lamented. As regards the judiciary, one prisoner stated: "The main problem is the judiciary. Prosecution in Abomey has become an avenue for getting money. if you do not have money, your case is never examined." Of the five children in one cell, two were born in the prison. None of the 15 people in the cell had been tried, and 2 of them had been on remand for 7 and 6 years respectively. The age of an extremely old-looking inmate was put at 81. Most inmates found the food insufficient. It was added that, because I was visiting, the ration for the day was increased. The quality of the food also left much to be desired. One prisoner blurted out: The women and children had different toilets. "If you complain that the food is not cooked, you are taken outside and beaten." Last Cell The last cell visited was inhabited by two extremely old people who had hardly any energy. Upon my recommendation, and with the co-operation of all concerned (Director of Prison, Chief of Guard and the Prosecutor), they were moved to the hospital. Sad to relate, one of them died on the day he was admitted into hospital. Many prisoners confirmed being beaten by guards. Yet another complaint was that prisoners cleaned the toilets with their hands. Poor health care was stressed throughout the prison. One prisoner alleged that he had been ill for eight months without receiving any medical attention. Old People's Cell While there was no art to determine the exact age of the inmates, it was evident that they were very advanced in age. One claimed to be 120 years old while 80 and 90 were given as the respective age of two others. Length of remand without trial ranged from 10-4 years. The health needs of these inmates appeared to be quite acute. One of them had an extremely swollen scrotum (hernia). Lighting was poor and the cell had an offensive scent. The premises of the gendarmes guarding the prisoners were made of swish, and had deep cracks in the walls. It appeared that some of the walls could collapse at any moment. Female Wine I Living Quarters of Gendarmes Prosecutor of the Republic, Abomey (M. Paqui Nicolas) t was at this meeting that I appealed to the Prosecutor to order the release of the two elderly and dying men. As in the case of their male counterparts, many of the female prisoners did not have mats. The Prosecutor responded that he returned from a visit to Abomey Prison about one and a half months prior to my mission, depressed and sick from what he witnessed there. There were heart rending scenes of mothers with their babies They found the food small. T 20 21