Chief Justice C. Owiny Dollo launched a Plea Bargain camp in Gulu Main prison to deposit 700 backlog cases, advising inmates not to admit that they have committed crimes because of hardship conditions in prison.
“Don’t hope for plea bargain when you know that you are wrong when you are not, also plea bargain when the inmate opted for does not means the sentences should be maximum sentence, you convicted the person who is on capital offense life in prison man or you convict the person on death penalty.
For the first time in Uganda history, Chief Justice turned Uganda Prison into a judiciary system, where he launched the plea bargain in Gulu Main Prison.
GULU CITY-UGANDA: Gulu City has never experienced heavy downpour for almost a month, but, a day when Chief Justice Owiny Dollo Pay visited Gulu where he declared that heavy downpour happens because he is a chief in waiting.
Chief Justice Dollo began to make a major judiciary reform program by introducing plea bargains which reduce case backlog, this backlog has been implemented since 2014, and this is a deliberate program.
The program of plea bargain has become part of decongesting Uganda Prison, the plea bargain is one of the recommended ways and acceptable justice system. The judiciary works to reduce the number of prisoners; the number of prisoners has been over 7000 prisoners, for this a country we are contributing to abusing parishioner rights.
One of the worst problems in Uganda prison is congestion, in this country we contribute to abuse of parishioner rights, there over 7000 prisoners in this country , about 95.5 percent are men and about 4.5 are women, it looks like the problem in Uganda is men.
But, out of this total population prison in this country, 49 of the population has through trial and convicted by court of law
About the numbers of prisoners 49 percent are parishioners who are waiting trial judgments, 50 percent are remand prisoners awaiting trial and 0.5% are civil debtors.
For Gulu Prison mainly alone there are 1244 men and 121 women, totaling 1365 inmates, they are being housed in the building which capacity is meant for 247 inmates, and out of this 425 are convicts while 819 are remand prisoners.
Now, the International accepted occupant rates that each prisoner is entitled to an area of 3.6 square meters; I have visited prisons, although he has not visited Gulu Prison in this country and I know the voltaic condition under which prisoners are put together. Especially at night when they go to sleep.
“Let me say this, fact that somebody is a convict or even worst somebody is a convicts, it does not means that the prison is a place for torture. Prison is mainly a place to reform somebody, it a place where you are accorded the opportunity to reform and you become a better person when you come out of prison
I am appealing to the government which does the planning and provide budgetary provision as we the country we must look into this, so that one does not come out of in prison to be a bitter person, but some out of prison that having seen the lives to become a better man who can change society than when he went into prison.
Similar international standards require that for every three inmates there is one officer to look after the interests of 3 inmates, unfortunately for us we have one officer warden and 24 inmates.
Let me used the classroom when we all went to school we study in primary school secondary, even up to university, the study was in class room the standard was there were 40 pupils out one classroom, under circumstance if you met a teacher which tough you even 40 years ago, out of that he or she 40 will remember you. When you meet him after 35 years he still remembering you, but now our classrooms have 120 in one classroom, the teacher can remember the most stubborn one and the clever one or the dull one, those are the none
Similarly for Uganda prison to save the purpose for which we set up the prison, we need a situation where the wader is not there to cane you, understand you problems, understand you and know your
In five years plea bargains have removed 35,000 those who are waiting their time to go home, this means that every year 7000 prisoners, we did not have plea bargain, the government could have lost 35 billion, if the government did not use that plea bargain now the government would have used 20 billion.
the purpose for which we set up the prison, we need a situation where the wader is not there to cane you, understand you problems, understand you and know your
In five years plea bargains have removed 35,000 those who are waiting their time to go home, this means that every year 7000 prisoners, we did not have plea bargain, the government could have lost 35 billion, if the government did not use that plea bargain now the government would have used 20 billion.
