Returning from Bafoussam, Emmanuel Jules Ntap reports on a heartening development: 38 young detainees who lacked the financial means to settle their court-ordered fines have regained their freedom.

This year marked the eighth intervention since 2014 by the Françoise Puene Freedom Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting indigent detainees aged 16 to 28 in Cameroon. Their support covers the payment of court-imposed fines, enabling these individuals to secure release and return to their families.

The initiative addresses a pressing issue in the country’s penal system: the overcrowding of prisons with young offenders. Françoise Puene, founder and president of the foundation, highlights the situation at Bafoussam Central Prison, where the majority of inmates are under 28 years old.

« Across Cameroon, we’ve observed that Bafoussam Central Prison is particularly congested, predominantly with young people—some as young as 17, 18, or even 16. The oldest we encountered was 28 years old, » explains Puene.

The financial burden of court-ordered fines, known as contraintes par corps, is a major contributor to prison overpopulation. These fines, ranging from 40,000 to 150,000 Central African CFA francs (approximately €60 to €228), trap individuals in detention long after their sentences have ended.

« Our prisons are dangerously overcrowded, and many detainees remain incarcerated simply because they cannot afford to pay these fines and regain their freedom, » admits Adray Epente Tazeu, Secretary-General of the West Region’s Governor’s Office.

Efred Ngayeu, one of the beneficiaries, shared his relief after spending nine months in prison—three months longer than his original sentence—until the foundation intervened. « I’m truly grateful they paid for me, » he said.

Under Cameroon’s Penal Procedure Code, convicts must fulfill financial obligations or restitutions ordered by the courts upon completion of their prison terms. Failure to do so extends their detention indefinitely.