Female cell One of the 4 inmates claimed to have been in detention for 11 days, and another for 2 weeks. They had 3 mats. The cell had an unpleasant scent, and the roof leaked. Food was provided by friends and relatives. I took up the matter of detention beyond the legal limit with the officers with a view to getting them to respect the law. Civil Prison, Cotonou (Director: Dieudonne Egnanfin) Data about the Prison Built for 400 prisoners, it now housed 1,422, made up of : Women: 55 Remand Prisoners: 969. 453 Convicts: Prison Guards: 22 One meal a day is served to the inmates. Health A guard is in charge of a sick bay. Serious cases are referred to the hospital. A doctor from the hospital has overall responsibility for the health of prisoners. Visits and Correspondence Visitors are allowed to visit inmates from 9 a.m. - 12 noon and 12 noon - 5 p.m. for male prisoners, and from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. in the case of female. There is no limit to the number of letters which may be written or received by inmates. Discipline Prison regulations are enforced here in the case of both guards and prisoners. Riot A riot took place in the prison the previous week. Dangerous criminals wanted to mix with the other prisoners. The former barricaded themselves in their cells and refused to eat. It ended by the prisoners apologising for their conduct. 26 Visit of the premises Encouraging Units The prison has a library, TV Repair Unit and a shop. The last was manned by the Catholic Church, which also set it up. Inmates were busy at work in a tailoring shop while hair was being cut at a "barber's comer." NGOs provided 3 machines for the tailoring unit. Inmates had set up small shops to continue to ply their trade and skills. In the hope that other prisoners could learn from the skills of their mates, the prison administration encouraged the work just described. Civil Servants Wing This was quite commodious and clean. Two prisoners shared a room. Water closet facility was available. Television sets were available here. Female Wing This covered a big area with two sections. There were television sets in the cells as well as electricity, fans (ventilators), camp beds and mats for almost everyone. Most of the inmates were awaiting trial, some with pathetic tales: "I have been in custody for 5 years. I just go to court to sign papers time after time without being tried." "The police were looking for my boyfriend, and when they could not find him, they arrested me." "My husband brought me here". While the truth of their allegations could not be confirmed, early trial will solve the problem. An old inmate who could well be 70 years old had no relation, and the Chief Guard looked after her. Five of these were Nigerians who were taken into custody for being in Benin without passport. The kitchen in the female section was built by Soroptimist International. Male Section Predictably this section housed most of the prisoners. The SR visited two cells, each of which had 229 prisoners. They also had committees, which liaised with 27