DAR ES SALAAM, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities on Monday announced measures aimed at addressing the congestion of inmates in the East African country's prisons.
Minister for Home Affairs Hamad Masauni said one of the measures is to construct new prisons that will help decongest crowded prisons.
Masauni made the remarks when he inaugurated a new Parole Board chaired by Tanzania's retired civil servant and diplomat Khamis Kagasheki in Dar es Salaam, which he said will play a major role in addressing congestion in prisons.
A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge.
Masauni mentioned another measure as holding quarterly meetings of the Parole Board with a view to reviewing the conduct of inmates to be released on parole.
He said the government will recruit more prison officers who will help provide correctional services to inmates to make them responsible citizens after their terms in prison. ■