The Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Philip Mpango, has emphasized the need for the Tanzania Prison Service to implement the recommendations put forward by the Commission for Criminal Justice
as well as the Controller and Auditor General (CAG). He made these remarks while opening the Senior Officers’ Conference of the Tanzania Prison Service, held at the Service’s Headquarters in Msalato, Dodoma.
Dr. Mpango highlighted that the reports identified several challenges contributing to the recidivism of prisoners, including the lack of formal guidelines on the execution of rehabilitation programs and inadequate systems for identifying and assigning prisoners to rehabilitation activities based on their skills and talents.
The Vice President also stressed the importance of improving prison conditions, urging the reduction and eventual elimination of the use of buckets as toilets. He called upon various stakeholders to support prisons by providing educational resources such as computers, books, and other materials that would enable inmates to pursue education during their time in incarceration.
Additionally, Dr. Mpango underscored the need for comprehensive educational and psychological support programs for inmates, especially those nearing the completion of their sentences.
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He noted that the report from the Commission for Criminal Justice also pointed to excessive use of force and degrading inspection procedures that violate human rights.
The Vice President called on the Tanzania Prison Service to fully implement the recommendations to enhance the rehabilitation of prisoners and improve the overall efficiency of the Service. He affirmed that these measures would help prevent recidivism and safeguard human rights within the country’s prison system.