Cape Verde

• Author: George Kurian
• Pages: 278

Page 278

Official country name: Republic of Cape Verde

Capital: Praia

Geographic description: Two groups of islands in western Africa in the North Atlantic Ocean

Population: 418,224 (est. 2005)

Cape Verde

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Structure and Organization

The principal law enforcement agency is the Public Order Police or the Policia de Seguranca Publica under the National Directorate of Security and Public Order under the Ministry of the Interior. It encompasses not only regular uniformed police but also plainclothes Criminal Investigation Police, the Judiciary Police, and the Economic and Fiscal Police who combat smuggling. Internal security functions are also carried out by the National Security Department. The prison system is under the Ministry of Justice.

Police Statistics

Total Police Personnel: 3,981

Population per Police Officer: 110

CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM

Prison Conditions

Prison conditions are substandard and have experienced overcrowding, poor sanitation, malnutrition, and lack of medical assistance. Women and men are held separately but juveniles are housed with adults, and pretrial detainees are housed with convicted criminals.

Prison Statistics

Total Prison Population (including pretrial prisoners): 755

Prison Population Rate per 100,000: 188

Female Prisoners: 5%

Juvenile Prisoners: 3%

Foreign Prisoners: 4.5%

Pretrial Detainees: 36.5%

Number of Prisons: 11

Official Capacity of the Prison System: 1,997

George Thomas Kurian