CORRECTIONAL SERVICES PS PLEDGES COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORM PROBATION AND AFTERCARE SERVICE

By Nicholas Kigondu

State Department for Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco says she will engage other actors in the criminal justice system to enhance public safety and rehabilitate individuals under community corrections.

Speaking during a meeting with head of directorates from Probation and Aftercare Service, the PS said the department has prioritized strengthening the technical and operational capacity of Probation and Aftercare Service as well as the Kenya Prisons Service as part of ongoing reforms targeting the country’s correctional services.

During the meeting, the PS challenged Probation and Aftercare Service to consider having more Probation Community Resource Training Centers in the country, besides the ones in Webuye and Likoni, as well as establish half way homes for offenders so as to further reduce cases of recidivism and improve community trust in the criminal justice system.

This even as she called on probation officers to serve with dedication and diligence for the common good of the society.

“Let us create a legacy. We should not work because it is our duty, we must relate our work with the impact it will create,” implored the PS.

The PS was accompanied by Probation and Aftercare Service Secretary Dr. Christine Obondi.

This year, the principal secretary has been engaging staff from the two technical units, Probation and Aftercare Service and the Kenya Prisons Service, in efforts aimed at enhancing efficiency in the management of offenders, rehabilitation and re-integration of offenders back into the society.

Probation and Aftercare Service is tasked with providing advisory reports to court and other agencies for the purpose of determining bail and bond terms and for decision-making on sentencing and release of offenders as well as supervising, resettling, reintegrating and rehabilitating offenders serving various non-custodial sentences in the community.