Côte d’Ivoire has 31,934,230 inhabitants, including 27,149 incarcerated individuals held in 41 facilities. Its prison density, 297.07%, is one of the highest in the world. In 2022, the occupancy levels in nine facilities exceeded 600%.

The country’s code of criminal procedure was amended in 2018, in particular to introduce alternatives to detention, such as judicial supervision, community service and fines for correctional offences. However, the courts struggle to put these new alternatives into practice.

There are not enough lawyers, judges and courts to handle every case. Incarcerated people often have to involve intermediaries and pay for their case to be processed or to benefit from sentence adjustments. Over one third of the prison population is in remand detention. Some people spend several years awaiting sentencing.

The prison service relies heavily on support from civil society organisations and the friends and family of incarcerated people to make up for deficiencies in terms of food, health care and activities. Despite this additional support, conditions remain cause for concern.

Many people sleep on the floor in overpopulated, poorly ventilated cells. Personal care products are not systematically provided or replaced. Standards relating to hygiene and to food quality and quantity are not respected, leading to numerous cases of malnutrition. Opportunities for activities, work, and training are far from sufficient. Although the schooling of children is compulsory, they typically only have access to a few reading and writing modules.

Many incarcerated people have very little contact with the outside world. For those who receive visitors, calls or correspondence, privacy is not always guaranteed.

Disciplinary practices vary from one facility to the next. As they have not been standardised, there is significant room left for arbitrariness. The law limits placement in solitary confinement to 15 days, but some people have been held there for several months.

There is no official system in place to file complaints regarding imprisonment conditions. A national preventive mechanism has been in the process of being implemented since March 2023.

An informal organisation exists in detention, with some responsibilities being delegated to prisoners. For example, the “cell boss” is responsible for maintaining order in his or her shared cell and sets the internal rules for it, sometimes even contradicting those of the prison service.

The “assimilés” make up a category of incarcerated individuals with privileged social status. They enjoy a regime offering certain privileges and better living conditions. This practice is a relic of the colonial period and the “assimilé” block originally designated a detention unit reserved for colonists and their social equivalents.

The specific needs of women, children and people with disabilities are largely neglected.

LGBTQI+ people are often victims of sexual abuse in detention. An anti-LGBTQI+ movement called the “anti-woubi movement” has gained momentum in Côte d’Ivoire since early August 2024. It is reflected in a wave of homophobic and transphobic abuse, both psychological and physical, in the outside world and in prison.

Access to care is largely lacking, due to staff shortages and insufficient material resources. The right to a consultation or to the medication necessary for treating illnesses is not guaranteed. Many people’s physical and mental health worsens during their detention.

– This country profile was produced with the support of the French Development Agency.

Contributions

• Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture - Côte d’Ivoire (ACAT-CI)
• Amnesty International Côte d’Ivoire
• International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT)
• NGO Au Cœur de la Prison (At the Heart of Prison)