Uganda Prisons Service

Uganda Prisons Service is responsible for the safe custody of prisoners in Uganda, as well as their welfare, reformation and rehabilitation, also they have the duty to protect, promote and fulfill the rights of those  incarcerated.^[1] The service has a vision and mission statements which guides their core objectives.^[1]

The Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) was established in 1899 under the British Protectorate as a branch of the King's African Rifles (KAR), tasked with providing safe custody for offenders.^[2] By 1903, UPS was recognized as a separate department from the KAR, although KAR soldiers continued to serve in various capacities within the prison system.

The colonial period saw significant development in Uganda's prison infrastructure. In Uganda, the British built the first colonial prisons in the 1890s, introducing a shift in the punitive approach from traditional indigenous justice systems to Western-style incarceration methods.^[3]

The administrative head of the Uganda Prisons Service is the Commissioner General of Prisons (CGP) who is deputized by the Deputy Commissioner General (DCGP). Directors of Prisons head the 6 Directorates, Commissioners of Prisons head the Departments and an Under Secretary in Charge of Finance and Administration.^[4]

In 2016, Cabinet approved the Uganda Prisons Staff Structure with an approved staff establishment of 49,470 staff including 37,631 uniformed officers of various ranks and qualifications, 11,839 non uniformed staff, 06 directorates with 23 departments.^[4]

The functions the prison service perform are:^[1]

• To ensure that every person retained legally in a prison is kept in humane, safe custody, provided in court when requires until lawfully discharged or removed from prison.
• To facilitate the social rehabilitation and reformation of prisoners through specific training and educational programmes.
• To facilitate the re-integration of prisoners into their communities.
• To ensure performance by prisoners of work reasonably necessary for the effective management of prisons.
• To perform other such functions as the Minister after consultation with the Prisons Authority, may from time to time assign to the service

The modern Uganda Prisons Service operates under the Prisons Act 2006, which established the Prisons Authority that became operational in 2008. Uganda Prisons Service amended the Prisons Ordinance, 1964 that culminated into the enactment of Prisons Act 2006, which established Prisons Authority that became operational in 2008.^[5]

The prison service undertakes an annual drive to recruit new officers in the ranks.^[6]

The Prisons Authority serves as the oversight body for the Uganda Prisons Service. The Authority's mandate is to provide competent human resources and advice to government on policies, structures and systems for the management of Uganda Prisons service.^[7]