Volume 12, Issue 1, November 2014, Pages 6–12
Jasper Edward Nyaura1 and Margaret Njeri Ngugi2
1 Department of Peace Security and Social Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Egerton University, P.O. Box 536 (20115), Njoro, Nakuru County, Kenya
2 Department of Peace Security and Social Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Egerton University, P.O. Box 536 (20115), Njoro, Nakuru County, Kenya
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Kenya has been widely criticized for its on-going abuse of human rights and corruption in government administration more specifically the prison system. Moreover, the prison system in Kenya has been termed to be dilapidated since they were adopted from the colonial administration in 1963 after gaining independence. The paper looks at the utilitarian rationale of punishment that supports the prisons as rehabilitation institutions that aim to reform prisoners therefore reforming them towards proper societal norms. This paper critically reviews various studies carried out by other researchers and authors that disparagingly look at and have elaborated the understanding of the prison system in Kenya. Additionally, the paper identified the challenges of the prison system that includes the punitive and dire conditions in prisons since independence, inadequate legal representation, usage of drugs by inmates. Moreover, there is mistreatment of prisoners and lack of the privileges and rights, and eventually, lack of independence oversight of the prison system with regard to prisoners. At the same time, the challenges facing the prison officers or staff as identified in this paper include; inadequacy of skills, poor working conditions/environment and unfavourable scheme of service, inadequate in supply of food and clothing and varied perception by the civil society and corruption within the prison walls. The paper concludes that the correctional services are in dire need of reforms because of the earlier mentioned challenges facing both the prisoners and the prison staff. The paper recommends that reflective policies need to advocate for prison welfare and also securing their rights of prisoners. Furthermore, there is need for stakeholder participation, improved training especially those involved directly in the reforming the prison system.
Author Keywords: Reforms, Prison Officer, Prisoners, Rights and Privileges, Challenges, Correctional Practice.
Jasper Edward Nyaura1 and Margaret Njeri Ngugi2
1 Department of Peace Security and Social Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Egerton University, P.O. Box 536 (20115), Njoro, Nakuru County, Kenya
2 Department of Peace Security and Social Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Egerton University, P.O. Box 536 (20115), Njoro, Nakuru County, Kenya
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Kenya has been widely criticized for its on-going abuse of human rights and corruption in government administration more specifically the prison system. Moreover, the prison system in Kenya has been termed to be dilapidated since they were adopted from the colonial administration in 1963 after gaining independence. The paper looks at the utilitarian rationale of punishment that supports the prisons as rehabilitation institutions that aim to reform prisoners therefore reforming them towards proper societal norms. This paper critically reviews various studies carried out by other researchers and authors that disparagingly look at and have elaborated the understanding of the prison system in Kenya. Additionally, the paper identified the challenges of the prison system that includes the punitive and dire conditions in prisons since independence, inadequate legal representation, usage of drugs by inmates. Moreover, there is mistreatment of prisoners and lack of the privileges and rights, and eventually, lack of independence oversight of the prison system with regard to prisoners. At the same time, the challenges facing the prison officers or staff as identified in this paper include; inadequacy of skills, poor working conditions/environment and unfavourable scheme of service, inadequate in supply of food and clothing and varied perception by the civil society and corruption within the prison walls. The paper concludes that the correctional services are in dire need of reforms because of the earlier mentioned challenges facing both the prisoners and the prison staff. The paper recommends that reflective policies need to advocate for prison welfare and also securing their rights of prisoners. Furthermore, there is need for stakeholder participation, improved training especially those involved directly in the reforming the prison system.
Author Keywords: Reforms, Prison Officer, Prisoners, Rights and Privileges, Challenges, Correctional Practice.
How to Cite this Article
Jasper Edward Nyaura and Margaret Njeri Ngugi, “A Critical Overview of the Kenyan Prisons System: Understanding the Challenges of Correctional Practice,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 6–12, November 2014.
