Positioned in Douala, New Bell Central Jail is the first correctional facility in Cameroon’s Littoral Province. Initially constructed in 1930 with a most capability of 800 inmates, the jail now holds over 4,000 people 5 occasions its meant inhabitants leading to extreme overcrowding and overstretched resources.
The jail was initially relocated from Douala’s Joss Plateau to New Bell between 1896 and 1902 throughout German colonial rule. In-built an space designated for the indigenous inhabitants, the jail mirrored a deliberate technique of segregation. On the time, German colonial authorities believed incarceration was not considered as a punishment by native communities, and due to this fact, prisoners have been subjected to forced labour to ensure imprisonment was felt as punitive.
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After Germany misplaced management of Cameroon in 1916, the French colonial administration inherited the jail system and maintained its repressive character.
Present situations: Oovercrowding, management, and abuse
By July 2008, official reviews indicated that New Bell held 4,963 detainees regardless of being constructed for simply 800. With solely about 250 guards on responsibility, jail authorities have relied on a controversial technique of management: anti-gang activists inmates who’re empowered to implement self-discipline, distribute meals, and gather cash on behalf of jail guards.
These inmates, paid partially via a minimize of the extortion money gathered from different prisoners, are identified to make use of harsh and typically torturous strategies to keep up order. This abusive system sparked a significant revolt on 3 January 2005, after which the jail director was dismissed and the anti-gang models have been formally disbanded although reviews counsel some components of the system could persist.
Because of the extreme overcrowding, plans have been made to assemble a brand new jail at PK19 in Douala.
Construction and segregation
New Bell is a combined jail, however males, girls, and juveniles are held in separate quarters. Nevertheless, the overcrowding and lack of sources have an effect on all classes of detainees.
Notable inmates through the years
Rudolf Douala Manga Bell Conventional ruler, resistance chief Executed in 1914
Ndosso Din Secretary to Manga Bell Executed in 1914
Paul Eric Kingue – Politician 2008–2015
Bertrand Teyou Author – 2011
Mimi Mefo – Journalist November 2018
Shakiro LGBTQ+ rights activist 2021
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Tenor – Rapper July–September 2021
Hervé Bopda – Unknown Not specified
New Bell Central Jail stands as a stark reminder of colonial legacies and the modern-day penalties of neglect, underfunding, and systemic abuse in African penitentiary methods. Urgent reforms and infrastructure enhancements are wanted to deal with the rising disaster.
