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Bomet, Kenya, September 12, 2024 — The State Department for Correctional Services is reviewing its legal frameworks to align its operations with international best practices, according to Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco. Speaking during a tour of Bomet Main and Women Prisons, Sotik Prison, and Probation Stations, Dr. Beacco outlined the department’s commitment to transforming the corrections sector in line with the Mandela, Tokyo, and Bangkok Rules.
The reforms are also in line with the recommendations from the National Taskforce on Police Reforms, led by former Chief Justice David Maraga, with the goal of transforming the correctional services department into a center of excellence.
Dr. Beacco highlighted the department’s ongoing digitization efforts, which are aimed at improving operational efficiency. “We are in the process of digitizing all services to enhance our efficiency,” she said, noting that payments for products made by inmates are now processed through the e-citizen portal to ensure accountability.
During her visit, Dr. Beacco also called on staff to further develop their skills to adapt to the emerging digital landscape. She urged correctional officers to take personal initiatives in creating conducive environments by planting trees, stressing the therapeutic benefits and collective responsibility of maintaining green spaces.
Addressing inmates, the PS reassured them of ongoing efforts to provide support for their vocational training. The department, she noted, is working toward covering the cost of the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) exams for inmates enrolled in training programs through prison industries.
Dr. Beacco also commended various partners for their continued support and appealed for further donations to ensure the dignity and well-being of inmates.
In a significant step towards improving documentation and administrative efficiency, she commissioned a new documentation office at Sotik Prison in Bomet County.
These initiatives, encompassing legal reform, digitization, and environmental stewardship, signal a broader transformation in Kenya’s correctional services, aiming for increased efficiency, transparency, and humane treatment of inmates.
