PLANS TO TRANSFORM CORRECTIONAL SERVICES INTO CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE ON COURSE; PS BEACCO

PLANS TO TRANSFORM CORRECTIONAL SERVICES INTO CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE ON COURSE; PS BEACCO

By Pili Chimerah

State Department for Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome M Beacco says the department is reviewing related legislations to align its operations with international best practices.

According to the PS, the envisaged legal reforms are in line with the Mandela, Tokyo and Bangkok rules and resonates with recommendations   of the David Maraga’s National taskforce on police reforms and are intended to transform the department into a center of excellence. 

Speaking during a tour of Bomet Main and Women Prisons, Sotik prison and Probation Stations, the PS said the department is on course to digitize all its operations even as she urged staff to enhance their capacity so that they can help the department fit in the already established digital space.

“We are in the process of digitization of all services so that we enhance our efficiency,” she said.

Already, payments for products purchased from the department are done through the e-citizen portal for accountability purposes. 

She also urged officers to take personal initiatives to plant trees and create a conducive environment through landscaping. 

“Planting of trees is a collective initiative and a continuous process. Having trees is also therapeutic,” she emphasized. 

While addressing inmates, she promised that her office is working towards paying for NITA exams for the vocational training being undertaken by inmates through prison industries. 

She appreciated partners for their continued support even as she called for more donations to supplement government efforts meant to ensure the dignity of inmates while serving their sentences in incarceration. 

The PS also commissioned a documentation office at Sotik Prison in Bomet County.