President Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed the Tanzania Prisons Service to shift its focus from routine correctional programmes to measurable rehabilitation outcomes, insisting that reforms must produce real change in the lives of former inmates after their release.
The President said the government wants to see fewer repeat offenders, more inmates gaining recognised skills and stronger integration of former prisoners into economic activities as part of broader reforms in the criminal justice system.
Speaking on Saturday while officiating the graduation of Senior Leadership Course No. 28 and Second Grade Leadership Course No. 48 for the 2025/2026 academic year at the Tanzania Correctional Training Academy in Dar es Salaam, President Samia said prison reforms should no longer be judged only by the number of training sessions conducted.
“It is important that these programmes are evaluated based on results, not the number of trainings. I want to know how many inmates acquire recognised skills, how they use those skills after serving their sentences and the rate of repeat offences after imprisonment,” she said.
Her remarks come as the government continues implementing recommendations from the 2022 Criminal Justice Commission, which called for comprehensive reforms across the country’s justice institutions.
President Samia said the government would continue improving working conditions and infrastructure within the Prisons Service while strengthening professionalism, discipline and patriotism among officers.
“The Prisons Service occupies a strategic position in the country’s criminal justice system. Today’s graduates must execute their duties with integrity, professionalism, discipline and patriotism,” she said.
The Head of State commended the force for expanding the use of technology, including online court systems that are now operational in dozens of prisons, as well as the adoption of clean cooking energy and investment in prison production projects.
She also urged prison authorities to speed up implementation of pending reforms, including health insurance coverage for inmates, construction of rehabilitation schools and juvenile remand facilities, and building prisons in 59 districts that currently lack correctional facilities.
Minister for Home Affairs Paschal Katambi said the government remains committed to modernising security and criminal justice institutions to match technological advancement, population growth and national development priorities.
Mr Katambi said measures introduced under President Samia’s administration, including the release of 1,369 inmates through presidential pardon and the use of non-custodial sentences for more than 5,000 prisoners, had reduced congestion in prisons and saved the government over TZS21 billion in food and operational costs.
Commissioner General of Prisons Jeremiah Yoram Katungu said the force had continued implementing reforms aimed at transforming prisons into centres for rehabilitation rather than punishment alone.
He said investments in ICT systems, agriculture, clean energy and vocational training programmes were helping modernise prison operations and equip inmates with practical skills.
The Prisons Service is currently working with institutions including VETA, NACTVET and the Institute of Accountancy Arusha to provide technical and vocational education for inmates.
“I want to assure you, Madam President, that all prisons in the country are secure and we continue to carry out our responsibilities in accordance with the law, regulations and procedures,” Mr Katungu said.
A total of 657 officers graduated from the leadership courses, which began on December 27, 2025. Among the graduates were 15 officers from Zanzibar, a development officials said strengthens cooperation within the Union government structure.
Official figures show that the Prisons Service budget increased from TZS260.6 billion in the 2023/24 financial year to TZS330.5 billion in 2025/26 as the government intensifies reforms in the sector.
During the 2024/25 financial year, prisons produced food worth more than TZS3.1 billion for inmates and remandees, reducing dependence on government expenditure while supporting self-sufficiency initiatives within correctional facilities.
