Dialogue for peace training _ Uganda Prison Services
Uganda Scouts Association works with a number of partners and stake holders at different levels who include. Ministry of education as a mother body, Uganda peoples Defense Forces UPDF, Uganda police force, Uganda prison service
In 2015 Uganda scouts started an initiative of training inmates into scouting and this started in Murchison bay prison with one patrol but due to the impact of scouting to these inmates it was embraced by the prison management and given a go ahead to all prisons as it was seen as a rehabilitation tool. Several activities are being undertaken by scouts in prison which help them in their rehabilitation process and after prison life.
The culture of prison is like other organizations, its anchored in the relationship between management and basic grade officers reporting to them and this leads to the smooth running and rehabilitation of inmates however changing the culture in society requires changing the collective assumptions about how to behave that are reinforced with mindset programs. It’s to this that dialogue can explore collective patterns of behavior and more effective alternatives in a blame free forum where those involved can understand that is needed and why. So, it’s against this back ground that Uganda scouts saw the need to reach the dialogue for peace trainings in prisons with both inmates and prison officers. Citing the last prison census. It was found out 8-10 inmates are violated every day in Ugandan prisons and at least 60percent released inmates failed to settle back in their societies because most of them have not undergone proper rehabilitation to enable the reformation process Uganda has a total of 213 prisons and out of this 64 are actively involved in the scouting for peace programs with a total number of this 4500 hence Uganda Scouts Association reaches out to less than 5 percent of inmates across the country hence the need to carry out the dialogue for peace training for the new scout leaders(prison officers).
The training took place at Kaazi national scouts training and camping ground from 10th to 13th November 2020. With 30 participants that engadged in a 3day training. Training was Led by Anthony Tukundane the Youth Advisor-Africa Scout committee to the Africa Scout Bureau- Africa