A Critical Overview of the Kenyan Prisons System: Understanding the Challenges of Correctional Practice

Abstract

Kenya has been widely criticized for its on-going abuse of human rights and corruption in government administration. 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 thus conforming to the societal norms. This paper critically reviews various studies carried out by other researchers and the authors that disparagingly looks at the prison system in Kenya with a view of understanding the prisons system in Kenya. More so, 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, mistreatment of prisoners and lack of the observed freedoms privileges and rights and lack of independence oversight of the prison system with regard to prisoners. At the same time, the challenges facing the prison officers identified by this paper include inadequacy of skills among prison officials, poor working conditions/environment and unfavourable scheme of service Inadequate in supply of food and clothing and varied perception by the civil society Corruption within the prison walls. The paper concludes that the correctional services are in dire need of reforms because of the earlier mentioned challenges. 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 towards reforming the prison system.