NAIROBI, Kenya Sept 3 \u2013 The Judiciary, in collaboration with the Prisons and Correctional Services, is undertaking a nationwide prison decongestion exercise. This initiative aims to ensure that the criminal justice system upholds the principles of justice, humanity, and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
Speaking during an inaugural visit to Garissa G.K. Prison where 18 prisoners were released to continue their sentences through community service, Chief Justice Martha Koome noted that the criminal justice system has undergone significant transformation over the years. <\/p>\n
She highlighted the shift from a punitive model of incarceration to a more progressive approach focused on rehabilitation, reintegration, and restoring dignity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are moving away from the old approach that focused solely on punishment\u2014where those who came into conflict with the law were seen as beyond redemption\u2014towards an approach that recognizes the human potential in every person. We acknowledge that people make mistakes, and sometimes circumstances lead individuals down the wrong path,\u201d said CJ Koome.<\/p>\n
The Chief Justice explained that the decongestion initiative aims to achieve a sustainable prison population aligned with the capacity of correctional facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongestion severely undermines the prison\u2019s ability to fulfill its core function\u2014rehabilitation and the reformation of offenders. Overcrowded prisons are not conducive to humane living conditions, and without such conditions, the dignity of those incarcerated is compromised,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
One of the key strategies in the decongestion effort, she added, is the promotion and expansion of Community Service Orders (CSOs).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Judiciary is committed to reviewing sentences and, where appropriate, releasing convicts of petty and minor offences to perform community service instead of serving time in incarceration,\u201d said the Chief Justice.
Justice Koome reiterated that petty offenders with prison sentences of less than three months should not be subjected to imprisonment. Instead, they should be diverted to community service or other alternative sentencing options that allow them to make positive contributions to society.<\/p>\n
She further assured the public of the Judiciary\u2019s commitment to the diversion of children who come into conflict with the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren belong in schools, not prisons. We must provide rehabilitative avenues that allow them to grow into law-abiding citizens,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Deputy Commissioner General of Prisons MS Jane Kirii on her part appreciated the adoption of ICT in the justice system and called for the expansion of ICT facilities in prison to enable them enhance access to justice.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya Sept 3 \u2013 The Judiciary, in collaboration with the Prisons and Correctional Services, is undertaking a nationwide prison decongestion exercise. This initiative aims to ensure that the criminal justice system upholds the principles of justice, humanity, and rehabilitation. Speaking during an inaugural visit to Garissa G.K. Prison where 18 prisoners were released to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120834\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}