Prisons chief against freeing criminals
Dec 14, 2009
THE Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, is opposed to releasing criminals who have committed capital offences after serving only 20 years in jail.
By Charles Ariko
and Andate Okanya
THE Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, is opposed to releasing criminals who have committed capital offences after serving only 20 years in jail.
He said the Supreme Court ruling of January that reduced the time the offenders spend in prison to life imprisonment had raised a lot of queries from the public.
Life imprisonment in Uganda translates to serving only 20 years in prison.
According to the ruling, any death row inmate who completes all the appeal processes and is not executed within three years automatically has his or her sentence commuted to life imprisonment for 20 years.
Citing an example of a 19-year-old who commits a capital offence, Byabashaija said such an offender would be released when he or she is 39 years old after serving only 20 years in jail.
He said releasing such offenders was not good for public order management.
“It is a recipe for public disorder, yet we need to protect the interests of the public,†he said.
Byabashaija also noted that inmates on death row do not undergo rehabilitation programmes like other inmates serving jail sentences since they are assumed to be waiting for death.
Police authorities recently released five inmates who had served more than 20 years on death row in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling.
Another 152 death row inmates had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. Among them was the former prime minister of Toro, John Katuramu. He was sentenced to hang for murdering Prince Charles Kijjanangoma.
Other beneficiaries of the ruling were Sharma Kooky, who was sentenced to hang for murdering his wife, Rena Joshi and John Wavamuno, who was convicted for robbery and killing a policeman in Entebbe.
The Deputy Chief Justice, Laeticia Kikonyogo, said the Supreme Court was reviewing the ruling.
and Andate Okanya
THE Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, is opposed to releasing criminals who have committed capital offences after serving only 20 years in jail.
He said the Supreme Court ruling of January that reduced the time the offenders spend in prison to life imprisonment had raised a lot of queries from the public.
Life imprisonment in Uganda translates to serving only 20 years in prison.
According to the ruling, any death row inmate who completes all the appeal processes and is not executed within three years automatically has his or her sentence commuted to life imprisonment for 20 years.
Citing an example of a 19-year-old who commits a capital offence, Byabashaija said such an offender would be released when he or she is 39 years old after serving only 20 years in jail.
He said releasing such offenders was not good for public order management.
“It is a recipe for public disorder, yet we need to protect the interests of the public,†he said.
Byabashaija also noted that inmates on death row do not undergo rehabilitation programmes like other inmates serving jail sentences since they are assumed to be waiting for death.
Police authorities recently released five inmates who had served more than 20 years on death row in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling.
Another 152 death row inmates had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. Among them was the former prime minister of Toro, John Katuramu. He was sentenced to hang for murdering Prince Charles Kijjanangoma.
Other beneficiaries of the ruling were Sharma Kooky, who was sentenced to hang for murdering his wife, Rena Joshi and John Wavamuno, who was convicted for robbery and killing a policeman in Entebbe.
The Deputy Chief Justice, Laeticia Kikonyogo, said the Supreme Court was reviewing the ruling.