Sex is an important issue bordering the development of Ugandan prisons. According to Dr. Johnson Byabasaija, Ugandan Prisons headquarters the Commissioner General, the government’s effort to raise prison standards has comprehensively improved its capacity to handle high profile suspects.
Some of the changes targeted are expected to end cases of poor human relations and living conditions including torture and sodomy.
Speaking in a two-day National Prisons Reform Conference in Mukono, Dr. Johnson Byabasaija also expressed his doubts about how some of the changes which require certain facilities would be put in place. “We are yet to be able to offer conjugal rights to our prisoners because we don’t have the facilities to do that – I don’t know how the law would view that one,” he said.
The conference organised by the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), sponsored by the American government also tackled conjugal sex in prisons.
Measures are being taken to introduce sex in prisons according to Dr. Johnson Byabasaija. A new prisons acts as well as preparations for the set up of a Special Division of High Court to try war criminals in northern Uganda have influenced this decision.
Further defending the idea, he made reference to the Cheveningen Prisons in The Hague as being one of the detention facilities where sex is entertained.
“As the Judiciary strives to set up a Special War Crimes Court, the Prisons is capable and prepared to handle offenders of crimes against humanity. We have the capacity to handle persons of the caliber of Joseph Kony,” Dr Byabasaija said.
