By Tom Brian Angurini
Kampala. The number of youth in prison is high and this complicates the congestion in Uganda prisons countrywide, the commissioner for welfare and rehabilitation in the Uganda Prisons Service, has said.
Mr Robert Omita recently remarked: “In all the prisons across Uganda the number of prisoners who are youth is over 45,000. So where is the country heading? Is it because of lack of social services?”He made the remark during a training workshop for prison warders and wardresses aimed at improving their skills in handling prisoners.
Mr Omita said the Uganda Prisons Service trains youth prisoners in vocational skills and formal education to empower them.
Inmates get skills
He said more than 5,000 youth inmates have been trained in different skills such as farming and carpentry which can easily be adopted.
Mr Omita added that the Uganda Prisons Service intends to extend the training in entrepreneurship to more inmates countrywide to enable them improve their livelihoods.
Mr Ronald Rwankangi, the managing director of Advance Africa, which trained the prison warders and wardresses, said the programme started in 12 prisons in northern Uganda. “Prisons are now changing from being detention or punishment centres to correctional facilities so that inmates can come out with entrepreneurial skills and be better people in society,” he said.
Mr Rwankangi said when youth are released from prison they are given startup capital to practice what they learnt while in jail.
He said they have trained more than 150 prisoners in Lango and Acholi sub-regions, adding that the programme will be rolled out to all the regions.
He said more than 5,000 youth inmates have been trained in different skills such as farming and carpentry which can easily be adopted.
Mr Omita added that the Uganda Prisons Service intends to extend the training in entrepreneurship to more inmates countrywide to enable them improve their livelihoods.
Mr Ronald Rwankangi, the managing director of Advance Africa, which trained the prison warders and wardresses, said the programme started in 12 prisons in northern Uganda. “Prisons are now changing from being detention or punishment centres to correctional facilities so that inmates can come out with entrepreneurial skills and be better people in society,” he said.
Mr Rwankangi said when youth are released from prison they are given startup capital to practice what they learnt while in jail.
He said they have trained more than 150 prisoners in Lango and Acholi sub-regions, adding that the programme will be rolled out to all the regions.
CREDIT: SUNDAY MONITOR
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