Decongesting prison populations in Tanzania: reflection on the contribution of the parole systems and community service programme in Dar es Salaam prisons

This dissertation examines the practice of decongesting prison populations in Tanzania with reflection on the contribution of the parole system and community service programme in Dar es Salaam prisons. The work establishes the despite the presence of Parole laws and the Community Service Act, the numbers of inmates in Dar es Salaam prisons have continued to rise, hence creating a climate that is not conducive for rehabilitation and giving rise to several problems. We have observed that the parole system is not in favour of prisons serving long terms. This is because Tanzania society has adopted a severe sentencing policy which has been gradually intensifying for the whole of post-independence period. The community and the victim demand retribution while the prisoner and his family expect leniency and the court in terms has to meet certain objectives when sentences are imposed. Thus, in this study it has been strongly argued that the parole system has failed decongest inmates. This work also show that Tanzania has adopted the community service programme to service the pre-colonial tradition of reconciliation and promote greater involvement in the management of the criminal justice and rehabilitation of the offenders. However, it has also been revealed that the number of offenders placed on community service in Dar es Salaam prisons is significantly small. This number has very little effect on the prison population so far, and it has not helped in decongesting inmates in prisons.