Public Perceptions On Community Service Order Programme In Nairobi County: A Case Study Of Makadara Community
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Date
2018Author
Afia, Mahmood Juliana
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
It has previously been found that imprisonment has little or no effect on deterrence while
prisoners lose professional skills, their family life is interrupted and they are at risk of
drug abuse and homosexuality or lesbianism. This study sought to assess public
perceptions on Community Service Order projects in Nairobi County. The study
investigated perceptions on CSO by families with offenders not under CSO and those
who have gone through CSO projects. The study also investigated challenges facing the
use of Community Service Order projects and interventions for improving Community
Service Order Projects. The study site was the Community Service Order Projects within
Makadara Law Courts in Nairobi County. The study design used was the qualitative method
while cross sectional sampling method and census method were used to sample the
families in Makadara. The key informants were selected using purposive sampling
method to bring the sample size to 106. The study found that families with offenders who
have gone through CSO projects felt that CSO offenders are likely to breach the order
due to lack of supervision or income, that they consider CSO as effective and that some
victims and local community members are hostile to CSO sentences. They also felt that
CSO benefits offenders, community and victims, and that victims and their families are
not satisfied with CSO as a sentencing option. Families with offenders not under CSO
felt that victims and their families are not satisfied with CSO as a sentencing option and
that most offenders sentenced on CSO sentences are likely to breach the order due to lack
of supervision or income. The challenges facing the use of CSO projects included an
inadequate number of supervising officers leading to lack of proper supervision, lack of
agencies where CSO can be done and corruption among stakeholders. Other challenges
were lack of fixed place of abode, inadequate collaboration by stakeholders and
abscondism. The interventions to improve CSO included linkages with local leadership,
shorter CSO sentences, effective supervision and monitoring of CSO and training of
collaborators. Increasing personnel implementing CSO, identifying work agencies and
providing rehabilitative programmes for offenders are other interventions. Equipping
offenders with useful skills, providing startup capital, collaboration among stakeholders
and creating public awareness and community sensitization are other interventions. The
study recommends the Kenya Government to provide funds for training of collaborators,
increasing manpower involved in the implementation of CSO and providing rehabilitative
programmes for offenders. The Kenya Government should also provide funds for
equipping offenders with useful skills and startup capital.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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