If all our able bodied men and women are sent into the prisons, we wonder how can the country achieve its Vision 2020, talkless of the aspired Silicon Valley or Economic Superpower. 
Anyone who visits Gambian prisons will be taken aback by the teeming mass of able bodied and intellectually sound Gambians confined in there, under horrible conditions. 
Some of them were breadwinners and majority of them, certainly, has a lot to offer to the development of the country. 
Infact, one does not have to visit the prisons to know that our prison population is multiplying of a pace that shows no sign of slackening. 
Follow the news media or discussions at family levels or even at the coffee shops. It seems every Gambian household has a member or a friend in jail. 
Worst is some were reportedly not tried before any court of law while in the case of some of those tried, convicted and sentenced to jail terms, we want to believe that there are better ways of punishing them for their conducts rather than sending them into jail.
Can’t our judges and magistrates do better than condemning everyone taken before them to jail? 
In fact, the country is not prepared for the teeming prison population. 
Recent reports coming out from the prisons, especially the central prison in Banjul are quite disheartening. Apart from poor food, congested jail cells, among others, we have recently witnessed the death of two in-mates in a short period of two weeks and the circumstances surrounding their death are still controversial.
Even though the prison authorities denied any foul play, what is however clear is that the conditions at the prisons are not the least favorable for prisoners. Criminals too have rights!!! 
Matter-of-fact, the modern trend of justice is that of reformative. Countries with forward-thinking governments are devising ways of employing less force to combat crimes and less severe punishments. 
The trend is now that those convicted of committing crimes are reformed to become better personers in society. They are not subjected to conditions that would hardened them.
The pace at which so-called offenders are being condemned to prisons reflects a situation where there is a state of emergency. 
The judiciary needs a re-direction. Judges and magistrates need to slow-down if not the Gov’t should declare a state of emergency.