Yes, decongest prisons

Kamiti Maximum Prison [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Chief Justice Martha Koome has called for the release of reformed prisoners to decongest jails.

Most jail facilities have been stretched beyond capacity largely because the infrastructure has remained the same since the prisons were built decades ago.

Most convicts are in jail for minor infractions for which they are remorseful. Others are serving jail terms for offenses they did not commit. Custodial sentences that put them in contact with hardcore prisoners can be counterproductive.

For such people, civil jail would have served the purpose of reforming them, thereby decongesting our prison cells. Community service for convicts with good conduct as suggested by the CJ is therefore a better alternative.

The CJ' s call to decongest prisons makes sense, especially now that we have to deal with Covid-19.