The Principal Secretary in the State department of Correctional facilities Mr. Micah Powon has promised to work closely with other stakeholders in the criminal justice system in order to decongest prison facilities countrywide.Currently the facilities hold double the expected capacity.

Mr Powon noted that the remandees were almost half of all the inmates yet majority could be out on bail.A significant number of inmates are also behind bars despite their offences attracting sentences of less than six months.

Over one third of the convicts qualify to be considered for either Community Service Orders (CSO) or Probation since they are serving less than three years, or have less than three years remaining to complete their terms.The prisons have totally no option but to take whoever the courts send to them which calls for close working relations between the two agencies. There are also several children under four years of age accompanying their mothers.

Mr. Powon also promised to look into housing conditions for prison officers. Currently, the staff quarters are few and in very bad condition which he noted demoralized the officers.

The newly appointed PS has been on a familiarization tour by visiting different correctional facilities countrywide.