Judiciary releases 60 petty offenders in Kisumu to ease prison congestion

The Judiciary has released 60 petty offenders serving short jail terms at Kodiaga GK Prison in Kisumu County for minor offences.

They were released by Principal Judge Eric Ogola and other judges converging in Kisumu for the annual High Court leaders' conference.

This is part of the National Council on Administration of Justice's (NCAJ's) efforts to decongest correctional centres overwhelmed by the number of inmates.

They were part of the offenders identified by the Kenya Prisons Service and the Department of Probation and Aftercare Services.

The prison officers recommend the release of offenders based on their post-conviction conduct and their commitment to reform after being jailed, by making assessments.

Once identified by the prisons, the Probation department conducts a social inquiry of the offenders by visiting their homes to interview their families, neighbours, and local national government administrators to determine their suitability for non-custodial sentences.

Some convicts freed on Thursday will be entirely free, while others will serve the remainder of their jail sentences under non-custodial conditions.

They will work for two hours on weekdays at a government facility until they complete the remaining term of their sentences.

The sentences can also be terminated and the offenders set free completely before completing their jail terms under a non-custodial sentence, based on the advice of the probation officers monitoring the offenders under the community service order.

The probation department visits offenders' homes to interview their families and the community to assess their suitability for a non-custodial sentence after they are jailed for petty offences.

NCAJ has been releasing the offenders to decongest the overcrowded correctional centres that are holding double their detention capacity.

An official of the Kenya Prisons told the Eastleigh Voice that there are currently about 60, 000 inmates in all the 119 prisons including three borstal institutions used for holding juvenile offenders and suspects.