CORRECTIONAL SERVICES PS HOLDS MEETING WITH CHAPLAINCY AND WELFARE OFFICERS

By Nicholas Kigondu

Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco has emphasized the crucial role of chaplaincy and welfare services in the rehabilitation, reformation, and reintegration of offenders.

Speaking at the Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru during a meeting with chaplaincy and welfare officers from across the country, the Principal Secretary said the services provide an integrated intervention model to support Kenya's offenders reform agenda.

“Chaplaincy and welfare services remain the fulcrum of ongoing reforms within the country’s correctional system as they speak to the heart of offenders through emotional and spiritual support,” observed the PS.

She called on the officers to develop and implement best practices that will propel the country’s correctional system to a correctional service of excellence.

“You represent, conscience, mercy and meaning. This makes you essential.” She said.

This even as she called for mainstreaming of mental health within the workplace, reiterating the need to develop, what she described as an empire state of mind, while at the same time urging officers to prioritize their families.

While appreciating the role of chaplaincy and welfare in corrections, Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh said such services promote discipline and create a suitable environment for both officers and offenders.

This, he said, is critical in the realization of the Kenya Prisons Service's mandate of reforming, rehabilitating, and reintegrating offenders.

During the forum, officers present were taken through a presentation on Performance and mental health, which focused on the impact of mental health on performance across various domains, including work, sports, and daily life.

The State Department for Correctional Services has identified chaplaincy and welfare services as key pillars in the reform agenda focusing on the holistic reformation and transformation of people in conflict with the law for seamless reintegration into the community upon release.