A total of 31 in-depth interviews were conducted in November 2017, with twenty-four interviews in Makala and seven in N’dolo. Nineteen participants were male and 12 were female. The age range of participants was from 29 to 48 years. Sociodemographic characteristics of participants are shown in Table 1. Most of the participants had been working before being incarcerated, for example as a hairstylist, running a small business, car driver, policy officer, working in private sector, military, etc. Most of the prisoners stated they did not receive visits, from relatives or from anyone else.
Table 1
Sociodemographic characteristics of participants
Characteristics | n | % |
Gender | | |
Female | 12 | 39 |
Male | 19 | 61 |
Marital status | | |
Married | 14 | 45 |
Separated | 4 | 13 |
Divorced | 1 | 3 |
Widow | 4 | 13 |
Single | 8 | 26 |
Religion | | |
Catholic | 12 | 39 |
Reveil church | 12 | 39 |
Islam | 4 | 13 |
Protestant | 2 | 6 |
Kimbanguist | 1 | 3 |
Number of years of schooling | | |
None | 2 | 6 |
<6 | 3 | 10 |
6 | 0 | 0 |
<12 | 16 | 52 |
12 | 5 | 16 |
<17 | 0 | 0 |
17 | 5 | 16 |
Estimated number of visits per week | | |
None | 19 | 62 |
1 time | 6 | 19 |
More than 1 | 6 | 19 |
The following section presents main themes of the study:
Prisoners receive inadequate, poor quality food
Prisoners in both prisons, Makala and N’dolo, were poorly fed, due to shortage of food in both prisons. Prisoners mentioned that they would spend the whole day without eating any food and were hungry most of the time.
I endure hunger until the food is distributed around 5-6 p.m. We are served a cup of corn and beans and although you're still hungry, you have to put up with it. That’s why you see other people here going psycho (liboma, Lingala word meaning psychological trouble) it’s through neglect [Participant 31, male, 30 years]
I bip (sending text message) when hunger is severe and sleep hungry when I have no choice (Participant 29, female, 40 years)
Although food is served in prisons, it is usually served later in the day and prisoners reported that the food was of poor quantity and quality, and prisoners complained that they were not satisfied with the food. Most prisoners complain about lack of food diversity, stating that most of the time they are served with the same meal everyday called ‘vungule’ which is a mixture of corn and beans. “I wish we had diversified food instead of giving us the beans every day. [P4FM]”. Living in hunger was either because some prisoners did not want to eat prison food or because there was no food to eat.
I must endure the hunger, be content with this situation. Eat small amounts found or obtained [Participant 3, female, 34 years]
The unhygienic environment and poor quality of food resulted in some of the prisoners not wanting to eat food prepared in the prison kitchen. They preferred to cook their own meal or go to bed hungry if they did not have food. Some prisoners were cautious of their health and were following doctor’s orders.
… It is poorly prepared food in unsanitary conditions. [Participant 18, male, 41 years]
I eat prison food, only when they prepare rice or fufu like porridge with beans, but if it's the vungule I don't eat; I prefer to sleep hungry because the way it is prepared, as it comes out of the bag with pebbles, wood debris, all in it. Besides, a doctor advised me not to eat it because it causes cough and therefore tuberculosis and there you will go to the VIIB pavilion [health facility] for tuberculosis and mental patients. [Participant 26, male, 44 years]
Female prisoners were usually given raw food, supplied by the prison every two days. However, the prisons do not provide cooking materials such as coal and wood. Raw food was only provided to female prisoners, male prisoners only get cooked food.
We are preparing little by little because after two days the prison gives us a supply of 2 measures (sakombi) of corn flour, 2 measures of cassava flour and 5 litres of oil for all the inmates. The embers we buy and if we have no money we ask the neighbour. [Participant 13, female, 30 years]
Prisoners were dependent for food on support from outside the prison
Most prisoners stated that they are dependent on the support from visitors such as family members, friends and other community structures such as the church for help with food provision. Prisoners who have strong support from the outside were less likely to experience hunger.
Personally, I have not yet experienced this situation because I always have what I need and if I notice that my supply tends to decrease, I call my wife who supplies me. (Participant 20, male, 47 years)
I have the opportunity to receive visitors on Wednesday and Sunday. On the days close to a visit, I don't miss anything to eat, I've had enough. [Participant 5, female, 32 years]
Prisoners who did not get any visit were more vulnerable and were often living in hunger. Prisons accommodate prisoners from different areas of the DRC, including foreigners. Therefore, prisoners from afar mostly depended only on rations from the prison since they do not get visitors to provide them with extra food, making their life in prison very difficult.
It's because I don't have anyone, I don't have a family in Kinshasa. Some prisoners have families and live easily here in prison. [Participant 7, female, 43 years]
It is the lack of visits that is at the root of this situation [Participant 1, female, 37 years]
It is the possibility of being visited that influences my withdrawal condition. Like me, my family lives in Kisantu and visits me once a month. [Participant 12, female, 29years].
Prisoners’ perceptions about the cause of the food insecurity
Prisoners mentioned that lack of support from the government is the main cause of hunger within prisons. Prisoners stated that they take full responsibility for being in prison because of their crimes, however the government must take care of them so that they can be fully rehabilitated.
We are not doing anything, we have no money here. It is the government that is at the root of all these problems. We are punished, but we must not be deprived of food …We recognize that we are bad people but we want to live in peace. When the child is punished too much, it causes him to act badly. These conditions of hunger do not help us to improve ourselves on the other hand they make us psychologically sick with all its consequences [Participant 11, female, 39 years]
The prisoners also felt that prison administration exacerbated their hunger situation by delaying serving food. Food is served once a day in the afternoon, but sometimes it is served later in the evening.
… the distribution depends on the will of the governor who can decide the distribution immediately or delay it around 6 p.m. Sometimes food gets in here around 8-9 p.m. [Participant 27, male, 48 years]
Furthermore, kitchen staff who are responsible for preparing and serving meals to prisoners contributed to creating hunger among prisoners by withholding food from the general population to sell to prisoners who had money to buy it. This was confirmed by prisoners who actually bought food from the prison kitchen stating that they buy extra food from the kitchen to avoid hunger. Other prisoners complained that kitchen staff were giving prisoners small portions of food that was unsatisfactory, leaving many prisoners feeling hungry.
It is the people in charge of the kitchen who know the reality. They give us small amounts of food that no one even a baby can be satisfied by taking them [Participant 11, female, 39 years]
… If I have 200FC I can buy the vungule through my friends who work in the kitchen because what we are served is just a cup so if I am not satisfied I buy. [Participant 27, male, 48 years]
… The chefs take our food to sell and serve us as they wish. [Participant 28, male, 35 years]
Witnessing living conditions inside the prison environment, one of the prisoners stated that he would use his prison life experience to advocate for prisoners once he gets out of prison. His main goal is to change how prisoners are being treated and ensure that their basic needs are met.
…when I get out of prison, I will be making pleas, fundraising appeals for prisoners using my testimony. The lack of food weakens us psychologically and physically. We are easily injured even at the slightest touch [Participant 11, female, 39 years]
Prisoners strategies for coping with food insecurity
Prisoners who were living with hunger applied different coping strategies to manage their hunger and obtain food from different sources including prison food. These were described by prisoners as strategies for less severe, severe and very severe food insecurity depending on what they had to do to survive the hunger.
Less severe strategies
When prisoners still had access to food they employed less severe strategies to ensure that the food lasted longer until they get more food from prison or from friends and relatives. Less severe strategies included eating small quantities of food so that they could save some for the upcoming days until they get more food; eating less nutritious food such as drinking sugar water or tea to alleviate hunger and save food; not sharing food; and ensuring that they always have cash by conducting small business activities inside prison. One prisoner explains how he initially shared his food but had to stop to make sure he had enough food for himself.
… in fact, at the beginning, when I did not have any experiences, if you have food, you eat without being worried and share with others. Now you ascertain that visits are not regular so you must change. [Participant 23, male, 38 years]
Another prisoner gives an example of how he uses his own money to purchase commodities to sell in prison, which provides enough profit to ensure he is able to eat regularly.
I buy some commodities (cigarettes, sugar, biscuits, etc.) for selling. That helps me to maintain resource and to feed myself regularly. [Participant 10, female, 43 years]
Severe strategies
When prisoners experienced insufficient food they employed a number of increasingly severe strategies. These strategies included asking other prisoners for food; drinking large amounts of water before they go to sleep; providing services to fellow inmates such as doing laundry or cooking food in exchange for money or food; or borrowing from other prisoners at high interest rates.
If I miss food, I drink about 1 litre of water and then I sleep or I ask my neighbours [for food]. [Participant 18, male, 41 years]
I do jobs (call people, clean clothes) to have some money to buy food. If I can't find anything, I stay hungry. [Participant 9, female, 33 years]
Sometimes I turn to someone who can lend me 500FC with interest and give him 1000FC until the day I have a visit. [Participant 28, male, 35 years]
If I miss [food], I would rather make my own tea and drink it instead of going to borrow or I can fast [go hungry]. [Participant 30, male, 41 years]
Very severe strategies
There were times where prisoners did not have access to any food or had run out of food. In such severe situations prisoners stated they would miss food for the whole day or drink water throughout the day. Some prisoners would resort to selling their possessions such as clothes and shoes to other prisoners so they could get money to buy food. Some prisoners had sex with other prisoners in exchange for food.
If I realize that 3-4 days I am missing something [food] I can take my pants or a good shirt to sell. With this money, I buy the rice that I can eat for 2 days by splitting it is what gives me balance. I can stay from morning until 3 p.m. with water and around 8 p.m. I eat my rice and then go to sleep straight away. [Participant 26, male, 44 years]
I am on the safety committee in my pavilion and it happens as part of our surveillance work, to catch people having sex between men to have food just because the other is not satisfied [does not have food] or is looking for money for example 1000FC. The one who has the means or the food, promises [to give it to] his teammate in exchange for sex. [Participant 31, male, 30 years]
Some prisoners are ashamed to ask food or help from other prisoners, hence they endured hunger. Some prisoners would go through bins searching for disposed food.
…some have to look for food from the bin but he is not madman … just because he is hungry [Participant 27, male, 48 years]
I'm only happy with what we get here at the prison. I don't do anything else. I'm ashamed to ask, to have mean answers that affect (me) more. [Participant 11, female, 39 years]
I am only satisfied with the prison ration. I'm not doing anything else, I can't ask for or provide paid services. I am ashamed. [Participant 12, female, 29 years]
Prisoners’ recommendations
To address the hunger within the prisons, prisoners recommended that food must be served at least twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, and the quantity of food should be increased. Prisoners also wanted to be served with a variety of foods that are properly and hygienically prepared.
let us improve the situation such that in the morning we take the porridge and in the afternoon the meal. [Participant 28, male, 35 years]
That we change the way we eat, diversify the food, serve ourselves breakfast so that the sugar gives us a little strength. [Participant 5, female, 32 years]