DOC/OS(XXXIII)/324c/II The Chief Justice The Director of Public Prosecution and His Deputy The delegation had many very useful discussions with M. Etima, the Commissioner of prisons and the staff of the Uganda Prison Service (UPS), particularly Dr. Kurt Neudek, Assistant Commissioner. The Special Rapporteur is very grateful to Commissioner Etima for welcoming and introducing her and the delegation to the staff of UPS, as well as for the very open minded and useful discussions that followed. The delegation also consulted representatives of non-governmental organisations: Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI); Build up again — ex prisoners association; Ugandan Prisoners Aid Society The Special Rapporteur met the press: The Monitor, Radio Uganda, Dembe FM, Radio Simba, The New Vision, Monitor Radio, Uganda TV, WBS TV, Radio One Many prisoners were questioned in private, individually and in small groups, within each establishment visited. Cooperation received The Special Rapporteur welcomes the spirit of cooperation and openness which marked the relationship with her delegation. She is particularly grateful to Dr. Kurt Neudek, Assistant Commissioner of Prisons and Mr. Ikerapa, Commissioner in charge of inspections who spared no effort to ensure success to the mission. Visit context Prison and judicial authorities in Uganda, as in many countries worldwide, face a repressive public opinion. Mob justice is widespread and well rooted, and prison is therefore considered as a lighter punishment. The fear of mob justice is invoked as a reason not to release these people on bail, as the population tends to think that a person on bond is free. The capital punishment is highly debated, but further work remains to be done with regard to public awareness. The number of capital cases remains high, as well as the number of executions carried out each year (see below). Corruption seems to be an important feature at all stages: police, prison and judiciary. Some institutions do exist to fight it, but a lot remains to be done. The Uganda Prison Service (UPS), conscious of the conditions prevailing in prisons has adopted a policy document entitled "Uganda Prisons Services, 2000 and beyond". This document describes the commitment of UPS to the "reasonable, safe, secure and humane custody of offenders in accordance with universally accepted standards, while encouraging and assisting them in their reformation and social reintegration as law abiding citizens". The UPS was in the process of drafting a new prison legislation, which the Special Rapporteur strongly encourages. The drafting of a new prison legislation can be an important step towards improvement of prison conditions and penal reform. The Special Rapporteur would like to insist on the importance of such legislation, which must be a tool for progress. The adoption of such legislation must be an occasion to promote a humanistic approach of prisons, bearing in mind the objective of prison, which is the rehabilitation of prisoners in view of their return into the community, as stated in the UPS policy document. The Special Rapporteur would like to encourage the Prison Service of Uganda to take its inspiration from progressive legislations which have been adopted on the continent. 8