Abstract:
Imprisonment features as one of the main ways in which society punishes those whose behaviour is deemed anti social. The main objective of restraining people convicted of criminal behaviour in prisons is usually to facilitate their rehabilitation to law-abiding citizens. In Kenya, prisons are theoretically regarded as both correctional and penal institutions, but with lack of sufficient funding for the implementation of its correctional mandate, the prisons have acquired the image of penal institutions in the public eye. This study assessed the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programmes being implemented in Nairobi prisons. It was a descriptive survey that involved a total population of 8020 inmates, 120 social Welfa.re staff and an unspecified number of ex convicts. A random sample of 68 inmates and 45 social welfare staff and a purposive sample of 15 ex convicts were involved in the survey. Three sets of questionnaires for each of the samples were administered directly by the researcher. Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained by use of both closed and open-ended questions and later analysed by use of descriptive statistics mainly percentages and frequencies. The quantitative data was analysed by use of the computer program Microsoft Excel version 2003. Among the key findings of the study was that behaviours leamed among the inmates in all the seven prisons were independent of the rehabilitation programmes being implemented. It was also found out that the inmates preferred fellow inmates as the sources of psychosocial support as opposed to the counsellors deployed by the Kenya Prison Service. The lack of probation services to the released inmates was also identified as a key omission in the rehabilitation process. The study results showed that inmates leamed more negatiye behaviours while in jail hence the need to re-evaluate the role of imprisomnent as a strategy through which society rehabilitates offenders. Lack of adequately trained prison staff to manage the rehabilitation process emerged as a major limitation to the implementation of rehabilitation programmes. inadequate facilities for rehabilitation programmes were also indicated as an important limitation to the process. Overall results show that the rehabilitation programmes being implemented within the prisons in Nairobi Province did not effectively modify the inmates’ behaviours. It was therefore concluded that the rehabilitation programmes in Nairobi Province were ineffective in modifying the behaviours of inmates. From the study, it was recommended that the Kenya Prisons Service and the Ministry of Home Affairs should review the programmes in the prisons with the aim of reforming them to better facilitate the rehabilitation of the inmates.
