South Sudan released 17 inmates at Juba Central Prison on Friday after Human Rights Organisations clear their debts.
The prisoners were convicted of various crimes including theft, robbery, fighting, and rape, among others.
All the inmates released were males who have been serving a jail term duration between 6 months to 3 years.
The release of the convicts was facilitated and funded by the Legal Aid and Human Rights Organizations and its partner Human Appeal Associates.
The initiative is under “together to achieve Justice for all.” Leek John Alier, a representative of the Legal Aid and Human Rights organisations.
He says they will continue to work with the Administration of prison services to see more inmates released from prison.
The Administrative officer of the prison services, Lt Colonel Edward Anyak Deng welcomes the initiative.
Anyak says some of the convicts in the prison are people who have completed their jail terms but were held for failure to pay the charges
He raised concern that prison is overcrowding and that such programs will help reduces the number of inmates and creates space.
Bonny Okwara, one of the inmates who was convicted of Alcoholism says his conviction has helped him restrained from Alcohol.
Okwara said he spent 6 months in jail teaching him to teach life lessons, transform him and enable him to discover his potential.
In May last year, 8 inmates were released from the same prison after their debts were paid by Somali Business Association.