Inmates, leaders embrace plea bargain program

Mukono leaders and inmates have embraced the ongoing plea bargain program that the Judiciary and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) are gradually rolling out throughout the country.
Moses Mpanga, an inmate who spoke on behalf of other inmates, said they are ready to plead guilty to their offenses and that they are set to ask for forgiveness from those they have wronged.
“We are very happy about this new program of plea bargain. We are ready to embrace it and even ask for forgiveness for our crimes,” Mr Mpanga said this morning at Mukono Magistrates Court as the Judiciary launched the plea bargain program in the area.

Likewise, Mukono Mayor Johnson Ssenyonga said that they are convinced about the new justice program and that it should be launched in the area.
He was however, quick to caution the judges and magistrates not to give laughable sentences to the convicts of capital offences like murder.
Principal Judge Dr Yorokamu Bamwine rolled out the program which is aimed at tackling over 100 cases in the Mukono region.
Plea bargaining is a negotiated agreement between the prosecution and an accused person who is represented by a lawyer.
The accused person then appears before a judge to plead guilty to the charges against him/her in exchange for a lesser sentence without going through a lengthy full trial.

In his remarks, the Principal Judge explained to Mukono residents and litigants that the new justice system that was being rolled out in their area is aimed at enhancing the image of the judiciary.
Dr Bamwine explained that since the prosecution and the defense strike a deal to agree on the reasonable sentence to be handed to the accused, this kind of arrangement will enhance public confidence in the public since they allow participate in the sentencing of the suspect.
Justice Bamwine also took this opportunity to warn the judicial officers under the Mukono jurisdiction to desist from late coming and instead work hard to reduce the existing case backlog.