Kibabii University
Kibabii University
Kibabii University
OKUMU FAITH
DCR/0575/18
REPORT ON
FIELD ATTACHMENT
WITH THE
DECLARATION
This attachment report is my original work and has not been presented to any University for
This attachment report has been submitted for examination with the approval of the supervisor.
Supervisor Name…………………….
i
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
DEDICATION
This attachment report is purposely dedicated to my family, my colleagues from other
universities who were also attached at the probation office for the unending support they gave
me during the course of my attachment. Not forgetting my supervisor for encouragement and
guidance.
ii
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the people who helped and supported me
throughout.
Last but not least my grateful appreciation also goes to other probation officers for their support
whenever I encountered a challenge when executing tasks beyond my capability. The help and
cooperation extended by the staff is fully acknowledged. I thoroughly enjoyed my entire training
program and would like to thank everyone at Probation office for their guidance and support.
I would like also to extend my sincere gratitude to my parents for their immense support they
To crown it all, my great and immense gratitude goes to our Almighty God for making it all
iii
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
Criminology and criminal justice is one of the courses that are booming up rapidly. The course
has three major fields among others where a student can be attached. This includes courts, police
and prisons and private security sectors. In my selection. I got a chance to be attached at
probation and aftercare services which is under the ministry of interior and coordination of
national government but purely performs criminal justice activities and is very close to the
judiciary, it also cooperates with police, prison and the children department. For me to get the
chance in sirisia sub county probation services, I applied through the Human resource of the sub-
county probation and aftercare services. On the official letter I attached the letter from
conduct from the Directorate of criminal investigations. Conditions agreed upon during the
attachment period were working time that is arriving Probation and aftercare services were
arriving at the station 8:00 am and departing at 5:00pm from Monday to Friday. The main
responsibilities and tasks differed from attending court sessions, writing both pre-sentence and
pre-bail reports, conducting social inquiries in respect of the offenders that is petty offenders and
iv
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
Table of Contents
DECLARATION..............................................................................................................................i
DEDICATION................................................................................................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..............................................................................................................iii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................iv
CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................................1
1.0: Introduction..........................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER TWO.............................................................................................................................3
2.3 Vision.....................................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER THREE.......................................................................................................................11
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHMENT...........................................................................................11
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................11
3.1Weekly Timetable.................................................................................................................11
CHAPTER FOUR.........................................................................................................................18
IMPACT OF INTERNSHIP..........................................................................................................18
4..1Social conditions..................................................................................................................18
v
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
CHAPTER FIVE...........................................................................................................................20
5.2 Summary..............................................................................................................................20
5.3 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................22
vi
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
CHAPTER ONE
1.0: Introduction
The industrial attachment training is an essential component of the curriculum of the Kibabii
University for Criminology and criminal justice, Department of Criminology and Social Work.
The attachment period is usually a minimum of eight weeks and a maximum of twelve weeks,
during which the students are expected to acquire additional practical experience to supplement,
their course of study in the university. They are also exposed to the real world of professionalism
and its challenges which will prepare them towards their future careers options.
It should be supervised by a supervisor at the place of attachment and accessed by lecturers from
the faculty who visit the students during this period and at the end of the program to ascertain the
success of the program and the amount of seriousness students attached to.
I started my attachment on 30th September and the program ran till 15th November.
In this very report, it summarizes everything I did during the attachment period for a period of
eight weeks. The report starts with preliminary pages that carries with them the
introduction chapter. The second chapter explains all about the office probation in terms of
history, structure.
Chapter three gives the weekly timetable that illustrates all activities I performed while in
probation and aftercare services. Chapter four follows and it forms the body of my report. It
comprises of social conditions, evaluation of the assigned tasks and individual work
performance, implication of the future studies and career planning, comparison of goals
1
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
expectations with actual experience and projected outcomes. Chapter five is the second last part
2
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
CHAPTER TWO
2.0: Introduction To The Institution
Kenya has a population of about 40 million and a prison population of over 54,000 which may be
construed that the justice system is skewed to favor custodial punishment. Measures to address
this scenario include various community corrections sentences. The practice of ‘probation’ as a
crime and deviance which put more emphasis on Punitive sanctions as opposed to rehabilitative
and reformative measures. It is also responsive to human right acclaim to the methods best suited
to the management of errant population. The main attributes of community corrections methods
are the humane features, rehabilitative attributes and penal decongestion outcomes. Probation has
continued to be core in the criminal justice system in Kenya for over six decades.
appointed by the colonial government recommended its establishment. Notable among these was
the Peterson Commission. Probation services in Kenya today owes its origins from Britain when
the probation ordinance was passed in 1943. Its actual commencement in Kenya was in 1946. In
its formative stages, it was confined to Nairobi and predominantly dealt with juveniles and
women offender; administratively, the department has over the years been under different
ministries. Now it is in the Ministry of Interior and coordination of National Government. The
services of the department have grown and expanded tremendously over the years to the initial
coverage of the capital Nairobi. The department has a presence all over the country at all court
stations owing to this growth and expansion, more Government programs have been added to its
3
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
operation The services are delivered through the headquarters in Nairobi, provinces, districts,
division, courts, penal institutions and communities. Probation officers rehabilitate those given
community sentences and those received from penal institutions. They also enforce the
conditions of court orders and also generate pre-sentence reports to courts for effective and fair
sentencing of offenders.
NATIONAL LEVEL
DIRECTOR
PROBATION OFFICER 1
PROBATION OFFICER 2 CLERICAL OFFICERS
2.3 Vision
A just, safe, crime free society
Professionalism
5
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
Team spirit
Openness
Humility
offending
•To ensure that they repay the community for the harm or damage they have caused
•To provide the offenders with the opportunity to change and redirect their lives more
•To work towards reconciliation between the victims, the community and the offenders
Custodial sentences
•To provide excellent leadership to the staff, ensure that they are motivated,
Developed and supported to effectively discharge their duties and towards this end work closely
•To provide high quality and effective services which give the public value for money
6
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
All staffs and interns should be in official wear from Monday to Thursday and in a decent casual
wear on friendly.
Time conscious, reporting at the station at 8:00 am and leaving at 5:00 pm.
Respect to all staffs, clients and all other visitors in the station.
All interns and staffs should always use official language and national language while at work.
The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent
in the internship.
The intern does not displace regular employees but works under supervision of existing staff.
1.To conduct social inquiries and provide reports to courts and other penal review boards which
include; pre-sentence report for assessing offender suitability for a specific sentence disposal and
also carries appropriate remedial actions necessary to forestall re-offending; A pre-Release report
where the probation officer has to provide the holding authority with information regarding the
home conditions of the inmate and this involves gathering basic offender information,
interviewing the offender at his/her home, place of work, victims of the offence, community
members and any relevant institution, Assessing aggravating circumstances, compiling the report
and submitting it to courts and other penal institutions and currently the probation officers are
2. Supervision of non-custodial court orders under relevant Act which involves discussing
the order with the offender, drawing individual treatment plan providing regular progress reports
7
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
and this brings on board the services of the volunteer probation officers in turn protecting the
community.
3. Rehabilitation and Re-integration of offenders: in this case the probation officer carries out
offender needs assessment to enable the development of a plan that attends to the specific needs
of the offender achieved through guidance and counselling and also may refer to other
rehabilitation agencies and also the officer is required to provide regular progress reports on post
release offender like the Ex-Borstal, Ex-prisoners and special category criminals and their final
which include paying school fees for those schools going, placing them in boys and girls hostels
where some pursue formal schooling while others undertake vocational training and providing
them with tools i.e. tailoring, barber, hair dresser, computer skills hence cautioning the young
5. Crime Prevention .In this case probation officers engage the community including parents,
teacher’s students in addressing the factors that drive individuals towards offending in which
case the probation officers have to come up with specific social models of crime reduction within
their area of jurisdiction addressing issues revolving on drugs and substance misuse and support
In the process of my attachment period I was attached to various tasks, they included attending
court sessions, interviewing offenders from both the court and police cells, writing presentence
and pre-bail reports,appliying for vacancies for the juvenile offenders in borstal institutions,
8
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
conducting social inquiry in respect of the offenders by interviewing the assistant chief and chief,
Going for field trips to check on offenders under probation and supervising community orders
services(C.S.O) Programs.
I leant how to interview both offender and complainants pertaining the crime (for cases
I learnt how to conduct social inquiries from the community by the help of chiefs and
I learnt how to record cases referred for probation officer’s reports from the court files
I learnt how the pleas are registered and which categories of offenders are suitable for a
mentions, plea-taking, production orders and registry (traffic, civil and criminal
registries).
I learnt how to assess C.S.Os programs in public institutions such as schools, hospitals,
The second category to benefit from my attachment were clients. They benefited in some of the
following ways;
I explained to them what they did not understand, for example what it means to be placed
under probation, community service orders, suspended sentences ,be released on a bail
9
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
I interpreted for the clients who did not understand how to read Kiswahili and English.
I guided and showed directions and explained the probation processes to those who did
not understand them, especially the old and the illiterate members of the community.
I conducted social inquiry by establishing rapport especially with the offenders so that
they could give a complete account of had had transpired and advised the court
accordingly.
The third category that benefited from my attachment period were the probation officers staff.
I provided enough man power that ensured all tasks were conducted smoothly.
I helped my supervisor in advising the court whether an offender was suitable for a non-
custodial sentence or otherwise based on the social inquiry we collected from the
offender, complainants and the chiefs and also by reviewing previous criminal records.
I took part in supervising various task assigned to offenders released under community
service orders.
10
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
CHAPTER THREE
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHMENT
3.1 Introduction
This chapter describes all what I did while attached at the Bungoma west probation services and
aftercare services for a period of twelve weeks. During the attachment period I was attached to
various duties. This chapter also gives whole description of the work station which for this case
is Bungoma west probation services and aftercare services. Description of the work station is
given in terms of, employees, major responsibilities and tasks among many others.
3.1Weekly Timetable.
Week one progress.
MONDAY I was introduced to the other probation staff and underwent orientation of the activities of the
probation and aftercare services, was also introduced to the court staff
TUESDAY I was taken through by the probation officer, the programmes and the services offered in the
WEDNESDAY I was introduced to the other probation staff and underwent orientation of the activities of the
probation and aftercare services, was also introduced to the court staff
Was shown the previous reports on the probation archive, these were presentence reports,
social inquiries-bail reports, files of juveniles in borstal institutions and the offenders who are
under probation ,including those that have not completed their probation sentences as well as
11
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
inquiry ,interviewing of the offenders in the police cells and those in the court cell,
FRIDAY Interviewing offenders and complainants, attending court during plea-taking and noting
down cases referred for probation officers report, either pre-sentence & pre-bail reports.
MONDAY Attended court session during plea-taking, Interviewing both offenders and
TUESDAY Presenting both pre-sentence and pre-bail reports in court. Interviewed two
court sessions
Attending court sessions during plea-taking and recording cases referred for
12
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
Attending court during plea-taking and recording down cases referred for probation
officer’s report, Interviewed chiefs through phone calls during social inquiries.
Interviewed with offenders who were arrested of dealing with alcoholic drinks without a
Later on attended court during plea-taking and noted down cases referred for probation
officer’s report.
Took community service orders to police station to release offenders placed under
FRIDAY Presented presentence reports in court, Attended court session during plea-taking and
Went to the cells to release offenders released under community service orders.
13
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
Attending court sessions during plea-taking and recording down cases referred for
Preparing community service orders for the offenders to be placed community service
orders
After the magistrate signs in the C.S.O orders I went to the cells to release the offenders.
WEDNESDAY Attending court, during plea-taking to note don cases referred for probation officer’s
reports.
Interviewed a complainant whose Miraa had been stolen by an offender in remand, she
FRIDAY Presenting presentence report and released three offenders on community service orders,
Interviewed offenders in the police and court cells who had committed various crimes and
14
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
Presenting presentence cases in court and releasing some offenders on CSO, conditional
discharge and others custodial sentences based on the social inquiries and past criminal
records.
TUESDAY Writing presentence reports on various cases referred for probation officer’s report, Interview
.conducting social inquiries in respect of the offenders by summoning their relatives, chiefs
WEDNESDAY Attended court during plea taking since there were no POR requested by the court the
previous day.
THURSDAY I attended a community serv ices ordered program meeting that composed all the
FRIDAY Attended court during plea-taking to note down cases referred for probation officer’s report.
Interviewed offenders whose cases had been referred for probation officer’s report, Presented
two presentence report, the offenders were considered for custodial sentence due to the
15
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
MONDAY Presenting presentence reports in court, released two offenders under the community service
order,.
Presented one pre-bail report to court and released one offender who had obtained money by
TUESDAY Interviewing offenders from both the court and police custody.
Interviewed one complainant whose Miraa had been stolen by the accused in police custody
WEDNESDA Attended court during plea-taking and recorded cases referred for probation office.
Interviewed a complainant of an assault causing actual bodily harm (A.C.A.B.H) and the
THURSDAY The court only handled civil cases that day, no presentence and pre-bail reports that were
Presented pre-bail report for an offender who was charged with stealing stock contrary to
16
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
MONDAY Presented two presentence reports and released the two accused under community service
order.
TUESDAY Interviewed other offenders after attending a court session during plea-taking.
WEDNESDAY I wrote the warrant of arrests and also notes of the court room sessions. Conducted social
THURSDAY I wrote the warrant of arrests and also notes of the court room sessions. Conducted social
FRIDAY I attended to community service offers who had come to report. I supervised who were
17
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
CHAPTER FOUR
IMPACT OF INTERNSHIP.
The core business of the attachment period was to gain experience and skills in various fields.
Having been attached to probation, I gained a vast of experience, skills and qualifications.
4..1Social conditions
Being a local resident in the area, I understood the social aspects of the clients, their culture, the
mother tongue, social beliefs, political and religious aspects, I served them better that the other
employees who were not locals and could not handle clients who did not understand Swahili or
English. The mentoring situation was good since I interacted with all the officers and asked
during plea-taking, we divided the tasks equally, for example if there ten presentence report, we
divide equally, went to the cells to interview the offenders and called chiefs to collect more
information of the accused. I accompanied my supervisor every time to present reports before the
court.
My attachment with the probation department greatly mentored my career choice in future, since
we worked with the police and even the directorate of criminal investigations through the court. I
18
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
My expectations were met, the experience I got was worthy of the goals of the attachment, my
goal was to understand the operations of the criminal justice system fully of which I did during
Projected outcomes.
From the experiences and challenges I faced while at Bungoma west probation headquarters, it
encountered during the attachment, I can derive some projects based on the observations during
19
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
CHAPTER FIVE
following;
Financial constraints
Uncooperative clients and lazy court officials who sometimes delayed cases
The prison department and the police stations delayed in ferrying offenders bringing them
5.2 Summary.
During the eleven weeks at the department, I gained a handful of experience. I understood the
penal code and practically exercised .I was able to appreciate the operation of the criminal justice
system, its linkage to other stakeholders and the role of various stakeholders in despension of
justice.
I interacted with all kinds of clients, illiterate and literate, I observed that most of the Kenyans do
not understand how the CJS works, their rights during court proceedings.
I learnt and understood all about probation and aftercare services, its major role in the
community and how it helps lives of many Kenyans positively, instead of being in jail, they are
released on community service orders and works for the benefits of the community and the
country as a whole.
20
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
During the quantification of the CSO of programs, we had many offenders working under the
CSO program, we quantified their labor during the annual CSO program meeting, they save the
5.3 Conclusion.
In conclusion being attached at this station, was a great exposure to my career. I acquired a
handful of experience that is relevant to my course, understanding how the criminal justice
operates, familiarizing with the penal code as taught in criminal law and practically engaging in
As I conclude also I would like to thank the management for giving me the precious opportunity
to be attached in the organization. The attachment added immense value to my career choices, I
actively interacted with the three major criminal justice stakeholders and hence had a chance to
Lastly criminologists can work in any of the three criminal justice system, the court under which
the probation department operates, the police and the correctional services. I would advise other
students to be attached in the probation department since it directly interacts with all the criminal
justice system. For example with the police, probation officers goes to police station to interview
offenders who the courts refers for either pre-bail or pre-sentence reports. With the corrections
service, probation department is involved in decongestion activities in prisons each year. With
21
FIELD ATTACHMENT REPORT
REFERENCES
www.probation.go.ke.
22