Official launch ceremony for a book co-written by a former UIL student

Ruth Bekoung Siadous, a former student at the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FDSP) of Université Internationale de Libreville (UIL), co-authored a book entitled “Are prisons useful for the future of society? Human rights and prisons: the case of Gabon”.

Ruth Bekoung Siadous and Prof. Jacques F. MAVOUNGOU, Rector of UIL.

In the book, the authors show that prisons are places where individual freedom is most often restricted unnecessarily. They question whether the very concept of prison should be reconsidered as outdated for the future of societies. African prison systems raise particular concerns; in Gabon, the system inherited and preserved after independence is no longer adapted to the country’s current realities. Sixty years after independence, prisons in Gabon still do not meet international human-rights requirements and are increasingly distant from society’s expectations. Focusing on Libreville Central Prison, the authors seek to identify, first descriptively and then normatively, the general features reflecting the main challenges facing prisons across the African continent. They suggest reforms so that prisons can once again serve society. They offer practical ideas and solutions, with the ultimate ambition of making tomorrow’s prisons humane places where social reintegration can be prepared.

Family photograph with the delegation attending the official book launch.