Imprisonment, a Panacea to Crime in Cameroon?

The prison sentence is the most common form of punishment for Cameroonian lawmakers, making it the keystone of their criminal policy. This obsession with the prison sentence puts its credibility and appropriateness back on the agenda. Initially conceived as a place of redemption for the criminal, the prison is progressively transformed into a real school of crime. Therefore, although it remains the punishment par excellence in civilized countries, it must nevertheless be the last resort when other sanctions are impossible.The consecration of alternative sentences to imprisonment constitutes a remarkable advance in Cameroonian criminal law. This development undoubtedly contributes to the limitation of the incarceration rate and consequently a decrease in the prison population. The extension of the scope of application of these alternatives would favor a deeper dilution of the prison sentence.