Thika West Sub-County Youth Officer Laban Mwangi has urged Thika residents to support the integration of prisoners freed from detention into society. He said that inmates coming out of detention needed the society's support to fit back into their communities.

"Stigma is the main problem to those who finish their sentence. Prison as institutions work hard to rehabilitate inmates and I believe many of them come out reformed. The society has the obligation of accepting them back after transformation and completion of their sentences," Mwangi said on Thursday.

Mr Mwangi was addressing relatives and friends of inmates at the Thika Women Prisons when they visited their loved ones at the prison.
"Rejecting those who have finished their sentences back into society affects them and society should receive civic education on how to handle such people on accepting them back to the community," Mr Mwangi added.
He added that prison wardens had tried their best to counsel inmates and even taught them about self acceptance, peace providing techniques among other lessons.

“It is high time society accepted reformed inmates and offer them support despite their criminal records," he said.