Prisons boss calls for better services

The Commissioner General of the National Prisons Service (NPS), Mary Gahonzire, has called upon prisons employees to always aim at delivering quality services in their respective prisons. Gahonzire made the call yesterday while closing the a four-day workshop on Human Rights and Prison Management which was attended by 40 prison wardens from across the country. The seminar, organized by the management of NPS, was conducted by trainers from the International Centre for Prison Studies based in the United Kingdom. “You should appreciate, as employees of the Prisons Service, to have been trained by experts from the International Centre for Prison on how to improve your services in prisons. Put the acquired skills to good use and pass them on to your colleagues who did not get a chance to attend the training,” Gahonzire said. She also urged them to use the acquired knowledge to boost development activities in their respective prisons. Speaking to The New Times shortly after the closure, Gahonzire said that the NPS, in partnerships with the international centre, would organize similar trainings to other employees in the service. Rob Allen, the Director of the International Centre for Prison Studies who was among the trainers, said that among the lessons offered included how to improve the basic living conditions for prisoners. These include medical care and the safety of prisoners, rehabilitation, recruitment and training of staff and the need for constructive activities in prisons. He added that their centre intends to form a partnership with the prisons services in order to build on what the participants have undergone. “This seminar has helped us clearly understand the international human rights standards for prisons and we learnt how we can meet these standards,” said Ronald Mutungi, speaking on behalf of the trainees. Ends