Fernando Moleres and the Empathic Eye

4 minute read

Rampant overcrowding plagues prisons across the globe, even in the world’s most developed nations. In Sierra Leone, one of Africa’s poorest countries, and one struggling to emerge from a decade of civil war, prisons are cauldrons of violence and neglect, where death and disease stalk inmates at every turn. In the nation’s capital of Freetown, the crumbling Freetown Central Prison was built to hold 220 adult inmates but houses 1,300, including dozens of children as young as 14 years old.

In 2010, Spanish photographer Fernando Moleres traveled to Sierra Leone determined to document what he describes as “disastrous” conditions at the penitentiary. Inspiration for the trip, he says, came after viewing the work of French photographer Lizzie Sadin, who has spent time capturing prison conditions around the world. The result of Moleres’ work could not have been more fruitful in a purely professional sense. He has won several international prizes for his work at the notorious Freetown Central Prison, better known as Pademba Road, including a 2012 Lucie Award and a 2011 award from World Press Photo. His series, additionally, has been published by some of Europe’s most prestigious publications.

Yet Moleres refuses to call his work a success. He remains haunted by something his photos were not able to convey — the uncertainty that reigns at the penitentiary. Dozens of boys, Moleres explains, have spent up to six years in prison without knowing anything about their judicial case. Many boys, abandoned by their families and with no support to speak of, believe they will die incarcerated.

“It’s very difficult to reflect this neglect through photography,” Moleres tells TIME. “In Sierra Leone, a prisoner is nobody, and a young prisoner is nothing.”

Faced with this disregard, and frustrated by photography’s constraints, Moleres resorted to his previous profession as a nurse, which he practiced as a youth in his native Orduña, in northern Spain’s Basque Country. During his first visit to the prison on Pademba Road, Molores snuck in with medicine to help prisoners where photos could not. And Moleres insists that the images of acute neglect — dehydration and scabies plague most inmates — cast a constant cloud over the professional accolade he has received.

“Photography has its limits,” says Moleres, who worked as a nurse in Spain before turning to photography. “I’m very happy with the project, it has received a lot of attention, but it’s just a drop in the ocean. Nobody has moved a finger to help these boys.”

Until recently, that is. Moleres returned from another excursion to Freetown just last month, where, with the help of the NGO Free Minor Africa, he gave birth to an organization that will help boys navigate through Sierra Leone’s penal and judicial systems. When fully up-and-running, Moleres hopes to help up to 20 boys, whether they need legal assistance or help with rehabilitation once they are freed from prison. Moleres will also provide them with the option of returning to school or retraining so they may enter the workforce.

Moleres, nonetheless, has no intention of abandoning his photography. He’s currently working on a book that will capture the boys of Pademba Road at various stages of their prison experience, from incarceration to rehabilitation to life on the street.

“If you don’t do anything to follow it up, photography is not worth much,” says Moleres. “We become very conscious of everything but there is little action. I’m more interested in dedicating myself to photographic projects in which action follows close behind.”


Fernando Moleres is a Barcelona-based photographer. He was awarded second prize in the Daily Life category of the 2011 World Press Photo competition for his work in Sierra Leone.

Alfonso Serrano is a senior editor at TIME.com.


Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
The photographs in the first part of this gallery were all made in 2010. Freetown Central Prison in Sierra Leone, designed to hold 220 adult prisoners, currently houses more than 1300 inmates, including boys as young as 14. Up to 60 prisoners share a 270-sq. ft. cell for up to 16 hours a day, sharing a bucket as a toilet.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Every morning dozens of prisoners are taken to court for trial. Many of them will need to go to court multiple times before the judge reaches a final verdict, and as a result they are often kept in prison for years before they are ever sentenced.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
The rainy season provides a rare opportunity for inmates to bathe. The prison lacks basic plumbing, and water costs more than most prisoners can afford. Consequently, most inmates are unable to clean themselves for months on end.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
A 17-year-old boy sits in his cell. Like many of his fellow inmates, he has scabies. He shares his cell and a single mattress with seven other juvenile prisoners — close quarters exacerbate the rates of skin disease.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
A teenage inmate takes part in a gospel rehearsal in the prison.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Hlimamy Bangura, 18, lies beneath a mosquito net in the prison hospital. He is suffering from malnutrition and associated infections. Orphaned and homeless, he was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing from a market.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
A prison officer rests in the registration room, among the chaos of the prisoner records. Similar names and surnames, as well as carelessness and negligence on the part of the officers, complicates the process for inmates. Many remain in jail for years before their trial even starts.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Inmates play soccer.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Three prisoners in their cell.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Two juvenile prisoners get into a fight after gambling over a game of checkers.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Abdul Sesay, seen here at age 16 in 2010, sits on a bunk bed ladder in his cell. He was orphaned and homeless, and sentenced to two years for stealing a woman's purse.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
The rest of photographs in this gallery were made in October 2012. Two years after he was first photographed, and after serving his time and being released, Sesay was again accused of stealing — this time a mobile phone. Here, Sesay appears before the judge in the juvenile court in Freetown. Photographer Fernando Moleres reimbursed the owner of the phone, and as a result Sesay was released. Moleres then took Sesay to the Saint Michael rehabilitation center, where he now lives.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Sesay is keen to catch up on his education, and for the moment attends classes at Saint Michael with much younger students.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Checkers is popular in Sierra Leone, and provides entertainment for groups of young people at the Saint Michael rehabilitation center.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Sesay and other juveniles at Saint Michael can participate in a number of organized educational activities, including this afternoon dance class.Fernando Moleres—Panos
Fernando Moleres — Incarcerated in Freetown
Abdul Sesay is still an orphan, but Saint Michael provides him with his own room, three meals a day, and an education, and therefore some hope that his life will improve.Fernando Moleres—Panos

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