ACHPR/37/OS/11/437 12 Prison Capacity Headcount Men Women Minors Convicted Deathrow Foreigners Remand Yaunde Central 870 3059 2803 111 57 699 21 2216 57 Garoua Central 220 930 835 12 26 321 3 470 57 Maroua Central 150 602 530 8 28 227 9 350 34 Douala Central 182 2396 2310 62 74 359 17 2036 N/A Bafang Central 54 224 203 9 8 N/A N/A N/A N/A Bamenda Central N/A 669 554 11 31 327 6 289 N/A Mfou Central 106 237 224 13 3 91 N/A 121 N/A The Special Rapporteur was informed that there has been a significant increase in prison population in the country, thereby worsening the problem of prison overcrowding. Out of 15,000,000 inhabitants, the prison population is around 20,000. Roughly, the capacity of the prisons visited was around 1700, but, at the time of the visits, however, they were holding about 8117 prisoners, indicating a staggering overcrowding rate of approximately 450%. The rate becomes even more disturbing with particular prisons like the Douala and Maroua Central Prisons. There, prisoners severely complained of lack of air when locked in their cells. The delegation informed the authorities that overcrowding had adverse effects on prisons and their population, namely, on rehabilitation programmes the governement might wish to introduce, creation of unsafe conditions of detention (in terms of lack of beds, blankets, bathrooms, etc.), nurturing promiscuity and transmission of diseases; difficulty in keeping the premises clean; difficult working conditions for staff, and lack of exercise where space is limited, etc. According to the authorities, the increase in the prison population cannot be attributed to an increase in criminality, but to a concurrence of factors, including: lack of access to justice, a very slow judiciary, too many persons