The Ugandan penitentiary system has undergone significant change over the past ten years. Most reforms have been sponsored by international donors and human rights NGOs.

The Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) has shown political will to reduce acts of torture and ill treatment, forced labor and life threating living conditions inside most prisons. Uganda has the lowest reoffending rates in Africa, estimated at around 30%*.

However, overcrowding is still alarmingly high and strong differences are observed between Luzira Maximum Security Prison (Kampala), considered a model prison in Africa, and most rural jails throughout the country.