Effect of Prison Programs on Rehabilitation of Inmates in County, Kenya

The main objective of prisons in general and Kenyan in particular is to rehabilitate the inmates facilitate acquisition of self-dependence skills with a view of avoidance of repeat. The aim of this research was to interrogate the effect on male and female inmates’ life in prison in their journey of rehabilitation. The study was directed by the objective; to examine the effect of prison programs on inmates’ rehabilitation. The study employed descriptive survey research design. Questionnaires, interview guides as well as Focus Group Discussions were adopted to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The investigation targeted 500 convicts who included first-time offenders and recidivists, 30 prison warders, and 4 key informers in Thika main and women prison. Stratified sampling was used in the investigation to first place the convicts according to gender to get three hundred male and two hundred female convicts. A sample size of 30% of the entire population of male and female convicts and prison warders was used in the investigation to get 90 male, 60 female convicts and 9 prison officers. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively by percentages and mode and were recorded in graphs and tables. Qualitative data were examined thematically and in patterns presented and formed in verbatim and narrative forms. The study established that inmates participated in elaborate prison programs which helped them ease the pain of imprisonment and gave them hope of getting employment after imprisonment making them more positive about future. Therefore, the study recommended that the prison management should sensitize inmates on the essence of the prison programs as they offer life skills which are supposed to help them when easily fit they go back to society. The government should also improve the rehabilitative programs and provide more resources geared towards these programs. Further, the government should set aside stipends to facilitate inmates to start a business after imprisonment using some of the skills acquired while in prison.