{"id":113526,"date":"2025-10-20T16:41:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T16:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities"},"modified":"2025-10-20T18:44:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T18:44:53","slug":"alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities","title":{"rendered":"Alternative Dispute Resolution Decongesting Correctional Facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Uwamariya (name changed for privacy), a 37-year-old mother of eight and business owner, was arrested in February on fraud charges involving Rwf 100 million.<\/p>\n

According to her account, the ordeal began when she received money on behalf of a local savings group, but before she could deposit it into the group’s bank account, it was stolen from her by scammers.<\/p>\n

The incident quickly escalated into a criminal case, leading to her arrest and a 30-day remand at Nyarugenge Correctional Facility pending trial.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I denied everything,\u201d she recalled. \u201cBut deep down, I knew I had received the money and failed to do what was expected of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the law, fraud is punishable by two to three years in prison and a fine ranging from Rwf 3 million to Rwf 5 million. In cases involving financial instruments such as shares or securities, the penalty can extend to five years in prison and a fine of up to Rwf 7 million.<\/p>\n

For Uwamariya, however, everything changed when she learned about plea-bargaining, one of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms introduced to help ease case backlogs and prison overcrowding.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I thought it was just talk,\u201d she said. \u201cBut when I saw some of my fellow detainees being released through plea bargaining, I decided to give it a try.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the process, she met the victim and legal officers and agreed to take responsibility for her actions. She pleaded guilty and committed to repaying the money, Rwf 50 million upfront and the remainder in three instalments. After eight months in prison, she was released in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing out again means I can rebuild my life, take care of my children, and continue my business,\u201d she said. \u201cI also have a better relationship with the person I wronged.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uwamariya\u2019s story is one of the many. Thousands of Rwandans have benefited from ADR mechanisms such as plea bargaining since their introduction in 2022.<\/p>\n

Fidele Ndikubwimana, a resident in Gicumbi district who was imprisoned for theft, is another example. He joined the plea-bargaining process during its early rollout, pleaded guilty, and received a reduced sentence that led to his release.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting a second chance changed everything,\u201d he said. \u201cI learned from my mistakes, got married, and started a family. I\u2019m now focused on rebuilding my life and contributing positively to society.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to available data, 25,781 cases have been closed under plea-bargaining since the method\u2019s launch in October 2022, involving over 29,000 defendants, of whom 27,000 were released immediately.<\/p>\n

According to available data, 25,781 cases have been closed under plea bargaining since the method\u2019s launch in October 2022, involving more than 29,000 defendants, of whom 27,000 were released immediately. In addition, from 2017 till August this year, a total of 11,317 cases have been resolved through mediation.<\/p>\n

The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) recently reported a 30 percent reduction in prison overcrowding across Rwanda between 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n

NCHR Chairperson Providence Umurungi attributed this decline largely to the growing use of ADR mechanisms, including mediation and plea-bargaining, which are helping resolve disputes more quickly and efficiently.<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), which runs until 2029, includes a strong focus on strengthening ADR mechanisms. The goal is to reduce case backlogs, promote reconciliation, and sustain the progress made in decongesting correctional facilities.<\/p>\n

For many like Uwamariya and Ndikubwimana, these reforms have provided more than just freedom; they have offered a path to improvement and reintegration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful for this second chance,\u201d said Uwamariya. \u201cNow I know that taking responsibility can also mean starting over.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Uwamariya (name changed for privacy), a 37-year-old mother of eight and business owner, was arrested in February on fraud charges involving Rwf 100 million. According to her account, the ordeal began when she received money on behalf of a local savings group, but before she could deposit it into the group’s bank […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":113525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[5685,5687,3872,4021,3861,758],"class_list":["post-113526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-adr","tag-crimes","tag-mediation","tag-national-commission-for-human-rights","tag-plea-bargaining","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nAlternative Dispute Resolution Decongesting Correctional Facilities - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Uwamariya (name changed for privacy), a 37-year-old mother of eight and business owner, was arrested in February on frau ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alternative Dispute Resolution Decongesting Correctional Facilities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Uwamariya (name changed for privacy), a 37-year-old mother of eight and business owner, was arrested in February on frau ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-20T16:41:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-20T18:44:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/10\/sm_1760972921.936388.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Alternative Dispute Resolution Decongesting Correctional Facilities\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-20T16:41:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-20T18:44:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities\"},\"wordCount\":599,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/10\/sm_1760972921.936388.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"ADR\",\"CRIMES\",\"Mediation\",\"National Commission for Human Rights\",\"Plea Bargaining\",\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/alternative-dispute-resolution-decongesting-correctional-facilities\",\"name\":\"Alternative Dispute Resolution Decongesting Correctional Facilities - 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