3,500 prisoners to be released as judges clear pending appeals

More than 3,500 prisoners are expected to do community service when judges complete hearing criminal appeals this week.

The Judiciary said yesterday that this was expected to substantially decongest prisons in the country.

“The reduction of sentences for 3,500 prisoners to Community Service Orders (CSOs) would save the taxpayer over Sh223 million annually, as current estimates put the cost of feeding one prisoner daily at Sh175,” said Mr Naim Bilal, the director Judiciary public affairs and communication in a statement.

The over 70 judges sitting in 20 High Court stations across the country started hearing the 5,000 pending criminal appeals last week under the Judicial Service Week: Criminal Appeals programme.

On Friday, judges sitting in Mombasa released 130 inmates from Shimo la Tewa, Kwale and Kaloleni prisons, to serve under the CSOs.

Resident judge Maureen Odero said that more prisoners convicted of misdemeanours would be released in the next few days from prisons in Taita Taveta County.

According to statistics released to journalists by deputy registrar Richard Odenyo, Kwale prison released 58 inmates with Shimo la Tewa and Kaloleni releasing 41 and 31 prisoners respectively.

“The aim of this exercise is to decongest our prisons and help the country cut down on expenses incurred in keeping these prisoners. We are acting on a report presented to us by the probation department, whose officers have visited prisons to talk to prisoners who have reformed as well as hear views from their relatives and neighbours on the need to give them another chance,” Justice Odero told journalists at Mombasa Law Courts.

The judge added that families had expressed their readiness and willingness to assist the released inmates to return to the society and engage in national building activities.

SUPPORT INMATES

“Our appeal to Kenyans is not to stigmatise these prisoners we are going to release today but to give them another chance and support them to build their future,” she noted.

Justice Odero said that some of prisoners convicted for misdemeanours needed not to be in prison but to serve community services as a way of dealing with congestion in the country’s prison.

The exercise, according to the judge was part of the judicial service week, where judges across the country give special attention to the hearing of criminal appeals.

Last year, the High Court cleared 3,944 appeals, leaving 10,289 pending, including 3,325 appeals filed during the year.