Freetown Central Prison

Formal incarceration resulting from criminal offences in Sierra Leone began in 1787. At that time, abandoned slave ships were used as makeshift prisons. The first purpose built prison building in the country was built in Freetown, at the location of the current State House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of Sierra Leone. Prison officers claimed an official figure of 19 escapees, although some eye witnesses claimed the number was 30. ==References==