Interior Minister presents Community Sentencing bill to parliament

Government has placed a Community Service Bill before Parliament, seeking to give courts a clear legal option to punish minor offences with community work rather than jail time.

The proposal has been sent to Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee for scrutiny ahead of possible passage.

The bill would create a formal framework for non-custodial sentencing, allowing offenders convicted of petty crimes to repay society through structured community service instead of serving short prison terms.

Introducing the bill in the House, Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak said the reform is designed to decongest prisons and reduce the cost of keeping low-level offenders behind bars.

He argued that it makes little sense to imprison people for small offences when the state is already struggling to maintain the prison population.

Under the proposed model, offenders could be directed into work that supports local communities, which the minister said could strengthen social responsibility and reduce repeat offending.