A Compulsory Research Report Submitted to Mzumbe University – Mbeya Campus College in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Award of Bachelor Degree of Laws [LL.B] of Mzumbe University
This research titled “The problem of description of work done by prisoners according to sentence awarded, A case study of Mbeya Region” it aimed to assess if the prison Act is effective on description of work done by all groups of prisoners who existence in prison custody regardless their conviction either short or long conviction in Tanzania main land prisons. The Hypotheses tested were; that the Prison Act did not specify or categorized work required to be performing by prisoners when serving their sentence and this cause a problem because the Government become a provider to the prisoner due to the facts many prisoner especially those sentenced like death, life sentence and thirty years are the group of prisoner which all the time are remain in a prison custody by fear to take them will escape and hence to depend to the government which incurred a lot of cost to feed them, shelter, medical treatment, electricity, water supply, payment of prison staff for security and the prisoners who convicted from one month to fifteen years this are the group of prisoner which involve much to the production such as agriculture, and other social activities. Data were collected through the Field research (Questionnaires, Interview) and Documentary review.
Despite the law governing prison system in Tanzania but yet it has not satisfy fully the aim of description of work done by prisoners according to sentence awarded. The main objective of the research was to make a critical analysis on the laws and practice of the prison system and to come up with some suggestion for possible legislative reform which might be necessary in order to review the current situation. Specifically the research evaluated on the issue of laws governing prisons system in Tanzania mainland, on whether the practice comply with the legal frame work governing prison system in Tanzania, and suggested out on whether there any need of reforming the laws that governing prison system in order to make it effective. The researcher on conducting the research used secondary method of data collection, in which it was actually based on library research , writing in various report, internet search, reading magnitude of other researchers or authors works such as Books, Articles, Journals, Laws, Paper and different Authoritative material published and unpublished. Under which it was found that the laws governing system in Tanzania are; The Prison Act, The Parole Board Act and The Parole Board Regulation, The Transfer of Prison Act, Community Service Act, but as observed from various material sources the practice does not comply with
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requirement by this laws, not only that but also this have many weakness which make it not to be effective hence due to this weakness of the law lead the practice with regard to this prison system laws in Tanzania not to be good. Therefore the researcher recommended that, there is need of reforming the laws that govern prison system in Tanzania, further means that the law that undermines prisons system as to the fact that the principle Act, which is the Prison Act proves failure in the Implementation of the prison system at large, and this also likewise to other laws that governs the whole aspect of prison system.