Over 160 prisoners recommended for parole release

MOROGORO: THE National Parole Board has recommended the release of 163 prisoners, among them 11 women, to serve part of their sentences within the community under the national parole system.

The recommendation follows the board’s review of 206 applications submitted from various regions across the country during its 54th two-day meeting held in Morogoro.

Speaking at the end of the session at the weekend, Board Chairperson Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki said the decisions were reached after a thorough evaluation process involving all the prisoners proposed for parole, beginning at the regional level.

“Let it be clearly understood that those who have not been recommended for parole did not meet certain criteria, including issues related to their safety and readiness for community reintegration,” Amb Kagasheki said.

He urged members of the public to welcome and support rehabilitated prisoners returning to society rather than stigmatising them, noting that such acceptance is vital to preventing reoffending.

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“I wish the community could gain a better understanding of the parole system. Those who have been selected meet all the legal requirements and have demonstrated significant behavioural change. Many have also gained vocational and production skills while in prison. The public should therefore support and help them rebuild their lives,” he said.

On his part, Secretary of the National Parole Board and Commissioner General of the Tanzania Prisons Service (CGP), Mr Jeremiah Katungu, said the meeting was held in accordance with the Parole Act, which requires the board to deliberate on prisoners eligible for early release through the parole framework.

He explained that parole provides an opportunity for inmates who meet the legal and behavioural requirements to serve part of their sentence under community supervision.

“The law specifies that eligible prisoners must have been sentenced to long-term imprisonment of at least four years and must have served one-third of their sentence. Other criteria include the nature of the offence, good conduct and positive transformation during their time in prison,” he said.

CGP Katungu further noted that the board also assesses the willingness and preparedness of communities to receive the returning prisoners, including those affected by their past offences.

Out of the 206 case files reviewed, 163 inmates were approved for parole—11 of them women—while 43 prisoners, including two women, did not meet the criteria.