ACHPR/37/OS/11/437 10 Rapporteur. She was especially pleased by the exemplary eagerness on the part of both staff and prisoners to welcome her and discuss matters with her. However, in spite of this generally positive picture, the Special Rapporteur was not given the relevant and up-to-date statistics depicting the overall prisons and prisoners situation in the country. With respect to the Special Rapporteur’s wish to clarify some particular concerns that she had received when preparing her visit, however, the authorities were willing to provide her with explanations as the mission progressed. In general, the Special Rapporteur was very pleased with the spirit of cooperation shown by the authorities and urges all the parties concerned to take into consideration the comments and recommendations made in this report in a constructive manner. Context of the visit Prison and judicial authorities in Cameroon, as in many countries worldwide, face adverse public opinion. Cameroon faces the problem of mob justice. Capital punishment is not yet abolished and there are many capital cases. There is a severe financial shortage facing the penitentiary. In fact, the Special Rapporteur was informed that there has been no significant increase made to the budget for prisons since the colonial era. Difficult prison conditions prevail in the country also due to the archaic nature of prison buildings, most built during the colonial era. Prison overcrowding is thus an acute problem. Corruption in the administration remains a concern at all levels: police, prison, and judiciary. The Special Rapporteur was informed that the authorities were keen to fight this scourge and have intensified their efforts. It was noted, however, that a lot remained to be done in this regard. To ameliorate the prison situation, the government has since adopted an open-door policy to benefit from external assistance to prisons. NGOs and various local/international organizations provide various important services to prisoners. Corruption, however, seems to be a menacing feature plaguing efforts at all stages: police, prison and judiciary. Some institutions do exist to fight it, but a lot remains to be done. The Special Rapportuer was informed that given the myriad of challenges faced by the government, prison reform was not generally seen as a priority. This is compounded in the general public opinion that prisoners should not be accorded with privileges and that reform in the sector is not relevant. Findings The prison system Prisons in Cameroon fall under the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization. However, such important institutions as the Presidency, the Ministry of Defence, and the Delegation for National Security are also closely