The prison administration shall constantly seek to waken and maintain in the minds both of the personnel and of the public the conviction that this work is a social service of great importance, and to this end all appropriate means of informing the public should be used (UNSMR Rule 46(2)).

The level of stigma attached to imprisonment in Africa does not only affect prisoners and ex-prisoners but also the officers who work within the Prisons. This stigma is reflected in the poor funding that was allocated to the sector in the past (or even present, as the case might be in some countries) as well as the treatment of penal/correctional issues as low priority. This affects the morale of both prison officers and inmates.

The Kenya Prison Service has emerged a model worth emulating in the use of sports as a motivating incentive for their staff members as well as a public relation tool for the Service in general. This is achieved by encouraging the public acceptance enjoyed by the Kenya Prisons Service through the outstanding performance of their various sports groups who have even excelled to the point of the representing the country in regional as well as international competitions.

A typical example is the Kenya Prisons Service female volleyball team; preferably called the ‘Queens’. These young ladies are staff members of the Kenya Prison Service who constitute the Service’s netball team. Their numerous victories have attracted the public’s attention to the Kenya Prison Service but this time around not as an Institution with the onerous task of imprisonment but rather one who is also capable of acting as an ambassador for the nation. They have won four Regional Championships, three of which were won consecutively.

On 6th July 2012, the Kenya Prisons Service hosted a Dinner party in honor of the Female volley ball team. This event was attended by the Vice-president of Kenya, Government officials and the media. At that event while reviewing how far the Kenya Prisons Service sports teams have come, the athletes were celebrated and were also given the opportunity of speaking about whatever challenges they might be facing. The event was concluded with the conferment of Presidential Honors on each member of the team.