Uganda Prisons Unveils New Manual to Tackle Sexual Offending, Rehabilitate Convicts
PRISON
Kampala | Uganda Prisons Service has introduced a new treatment and rehabilitation manual designed to guide prison officers and social workers in managing inmates convicted of sexual offences.
Speaking during the launch, Deputy Commissioner General of Prisons Samuel Akena said the manual provides a structured approach to helping offenders address behaviours linked to sexual offending while preparing them for responsible reintegration into society.
Akena revealed that approximately 19,500 prisoners convicted of sexual-related offences are currently within Uganda’s prison population, underscoring the scale of the challenge and the need for specialised rehabilitation programmes.
He said the new intervention is intended to help reduce repeat offending by combining treatment, behavioural change, rehabilitation and reintegration.
“The implementation of the manual must now begin in earnest,” Akena told prison officers and social workers who participated in the training programme.
He challenged the trained personnel to translate the knowledge and skills acquired into practical interventions within correctional facilities, while ensuring that the dignity, rights and safety of victims remain central to the rehabilitation process.
The programme is expected to be implemented across all 270 prison units in Uganda, extending specialised support to offenders serving sentences in different regions of the country.
Akena commended the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the Government of the Netherlands and other development partners for supporting the development and rollout of the manual.
He said the collaboration demonstrates the importance of partnerships in strengthening Uganda’s correctional system and improving rehabilitation services for offenders.
The Head of the IDLO Country Office in Uganda, Barbara Kilei, said IDLO was committed to supporting Uganda’s efforts to strengthen its response to sexual offending through evidence-based and structured rehabilitation programmes.
The rollout marks another step in Uganda’s efforts to strengthen correctional services by moving beyond incarceration toward interventions aimed at behavioural change, rehabilitation and successful reintegration into communities.
