26 October 2010 - Ten Southern Sudan Prison Service (SSPS) officers from Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity states completed a two-day workshop in Malakal today on the introduction of court liaison guidelines to criminal justice agencies.

The workshop, hosted by UNMIS and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), aimed to improve communication, cooperation, and coordination between prisons, courts, prosecutors and police.

Judge David Oeniko, Judge Obac Denyang and Lt. Col. Paul Puk Kun from the SSPS in Juba, Central Equatoria State, were among facilitators at the workshop.

"Through this workshop I (acquired) knowledge to improve my work," said Lt. Romano Deng Jok. "I learned a lot, especially on how to collect data on remand prisoners and how to treat juveniles."

He added that Malakal prison currently hosted seven juveniles, aged between 12 and 15 years.

During the closing ceremony, Upper Nile State Acting Director of Prisons Brig. David Reath Malual encouraged participants to apply what they had learned in the workplace.

"You should follow legal procedures and possess sufficient documents in arresting someone," the acting director said. "Also bear in mind that every inmate has rights to appeal, so you have to make sure that these rights are properly exercised."

UNODC Project Manager Aggrey Nyapola noted that similar workshops had been held in Juba and the Western Bahr El Ghazal State capital of Wau.

"This workshop in Malakal was the last one," Mr. Nyapola said. "We hope that the SS Prison Service officers will (now) be able to perform their functions within prisons effectively."