Criminals should consider plea bargain

Mid-week, in an unprecedented development, Kampala businessman Matthew Kanyamunyu finally, enrolled for plea bargain after close to a year’s back and forth bid for the same.
Kanyamunyu, who was facing murder charges for killing a child rights activist Kenneth Akena, was sentenced to six years and one month imprisonment.
However, in the process of plea bargain, the murder charge was lessened to manslaughter on grounds that there was no malice forethought in the killing of Akena.

Presiding judge, Stephen Mubiru said the 11 months that he had spent on remand, should be deducted, meaning, he will serve like five years.
Now, there is no better deal in any justice criminal system like this one.
This is because man slaughter attracts a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, so if you can negotiate your way to getting mere five years, shouldn’t that be a motivator to other accused persons out there to embrace it.

Latest statistics obtained from the Judiciary that innovated plea bargain about six years ago, shows that atleast 30,000 Inmates have since enrolled and benefited from this new justice dispensation.
Because of this innovation, information from the office of Judiciary’s Technical Adviser, shows that for the first time in the history of Uganda’ s criminal justice, the number of remandees is lower than that of convicts and the reverse was true prior to the introduction of this innovation.

Briefly, plea bargain is an arrangement between the accused person and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), whereby the accused person voluntarily pleads guilty to the charges slapped against him/ her in exchange of a lenient sentence.
The innovation that commenced operation in 2015, is intended to reduce prison congestion, which is more than three times it’s original holding capacity.
The innovation is also cost-effective as it avoids long protracted hearing that are expensive.

This innovation is not only operational here in Uganda but in other jurisdictions, including first world countries like America. So our appeal to the accused persons out there, if you really feel you committed the crime you are facing, own up your crime and enroll for plea bargain and very soon, you will be out of that congested prison and return to your home to resume your normal duties but this time, as a more responsible citizen.