Hundreds of criminal suspects are being held in police custody beyond legal time limits in Sierra Leone’s capital, despite sweeping reforms introduced under the Criminal Procedure Act 2024, a new report has found.
The Campaign for Human Rights and Development International said only 31 out of 555 detainees held across 14 police facilities in Freetown’s Western Urban Area had been formally charged or granted bail during monitoring visits on 21 and 23 April.
More than 250 suspects were found to be over-detained, while 393 had no access to legal representation, raising concerns about compliance with domestic law and international standards on due process.
The findings highlight a widening gap between the country’s updated legal framework and the reality inside police cells.
The Criminal Procedure Act 2024, enacted to modernise criminal justice procedures, requires that suspects be brought before a court without delay and introduces measures aimed at speeding up case processing. It also expands access to bail and strengthens fair trial protections.
However, conditions documented by CHRDI suggest those provisions are not being consistently applied at the detention stage.
At the Criminal Investigations Department, the unit responsible for serious crimes, 57 detainees were being held beyond legal limits, yet none had been charged during the monitoring period. The organisation said the delays undermine the central objective of the law, which was designed to prevent prolonged pre-trial detention.
Legal experts say that when suspects are held without timely charge or access to bail, detention risks becoming punitive rather than procedural, contrary to the intent of the reforms.
The report also raises concerns about access to justice. With more than 70 percent of detainees lacking legal counsel, many suspects are unable to challenge their detention or navigate bail requirements, increasing the likelihood of extended custody.
Allegations of informal payments linked to bail processes further complicate access, particularly for low-income detainees who may be unable to meet financial or surety conditions.
Beyond legal issues, the report documents conditions that point to broader systemic strain. In several police stations, officers said they used personal funds to provide food for detainees, while basic items such as bedding and sanitation supplies were largely unavailable.
Detainees without family support were found sleeping on bare concrete floors or improvised materials, conditions that rights advocates say fall short of minimum standards for custodial care.
Minors were also found in adult detention cells at some locations, including Congo Cross and Lumley, a practice prohibited under child protection laws and international conventions.
Police cited frequent power outages and uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the new law as factors contributing to delays in processing cases. But CHRDI said administrative challenges cannot justify what it described as systemic violations of detainees’ rights.
The organisation is calling for urgent reforms, including state-funded provision of food and basic detention supplies, guaranteed access to legal aid from the point of arrest, an end to unofficial payments in bail processes, and clearer implementation of procedural rules.
The findings add to growing concerns about the capacity of Sierra Leone’s justice system to implement recent legal reforms, with observers warning that failure at the detention stage risks undermining the broader goals of the law.
While the Criminal Procedure Act 2024 sets out stricter timelines and stronger protections for suspects, rights groups say its impact will depend on consistent enforcement by police, prosecutors and the courts.
For many detainees in Freetown’s police cells, those protections remain out of reach.
