Tanumalala high security prison. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tipi Autagavaia
A Samoa Supreme Court judge says highlighted his concerns about not having a prison facility for adolescents in the country.
This week, Senior Supreme Court Justice Vui Clarence Nelson sentenced a young offender to three years in jail for raping his cousin.
He said it was unfortunate there is no longer a separate facility, such as the Olomanu Rehabilitation Center at Mulifanua, for young offenders and adolescents.
Justice Vui has in the past described the conditions for juveniles at Samoa's Tanumalala as "criminal", saying the youth looked like "caged animals" at the facility.
Justice Vui said it was abundantly clear that sending young offenders into a harsh prison environment is not conducive to anything constructive.
He said the prison conditions in Samoa are harsher than in New Zealand and Australia, especially for the younger inmates who must be subservient to the appointed elders of their cell block.
"The potential for prisoner abuse is high and complaints to the Prison Authorities are common."
The defendant's name has been suppressed after he was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual connection with a person under 16 years old.
The complainant lives in New Zealand and was 14 at the time of the incident and was visiting Samoa when the incident took place.
The offence took place in February 2020 and was reported almost two years later.