By Beverly Bizeki
Of the 419 inmates from Masvingo province who benefitted from the recent Presidential amnesty, only 19 were female.
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) Provincial Spokesperson Stanislaus Sanike confirmed the statistics and said female inmates were relatively fewer as compared to males hence the low numbers.
“Only 19 women qualified for the amnesty and the number is also low because the female population inside is low as well. The province has also released 419 inmates in total with 400 being male,” said Sanike.
Sanike urged inmates released to display transformational behavior for their acceptance back into society to be smooth, imploring the community to accept them back for successful rehabilitation.
“We urge inmates to behave well and be testimony that there is genuine rehabilitation inside prison. This will help for their successful reintergration into society. As for the public and community, we urge them to accept ex inmates into their communities as this augments rehabilitation processes that we offer them.
“Without community involvement in the process of rehabilitation, there is no formidable success in behavioral transformation of an offender. For successful rehab to occur there is need for a holistic and inclusive approach,” said Sanike.
He said the exercise was important in decongesting prisons among other factors determined by the President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa with 4 000 convicts’ from across the country’s ten provinces benefitting from the programme.
Masvingo Women’s Forum Chairperson Sungano Zvarebwanashe weighed in and said members of the community must allow ex-convicts to work.
“We expect that those who would have acquired skills during their stay in prison be allowed to work and not rule them out in terms of employment, the aspect of correction will not make sense. The skills they would have learned and behavior change will be of no use hence there is need to assess and allow them another chance at life,” said Zvarebwanashe.
Zvarebwanashe further urged government to consider the welfare of inmates and allow them decent living.
“Living conditions for prisoners are bad, they are not correctional but are rather punitive. They would have committed crimes but their health can deteriorate due to the living conditions in terms of cleanliness even the food they eat. Sometimes some people serve a jail term while in remand prisons before being convicted due to the living conditions in these places even in police cells.
“The situation is dire for female prisoners with children, the conditions are not conducive for adults what more the young children? This equates to children serving jail terms together with their mothers hence the government needs to put the welfare of convicted mothers into consideration,” she said.
Beneficiaries of the program include all female inmates who had served one third of their sentence by April 18, excluding those serving time for specified offences, inmates under the age of 18 who would have also served one third of their sentences, and prisoners serving an effective period of 48 months with the above mentioned conditions well.
The specified offenses include murder, treason, rape or any sexual offence, carjacking, robbery, public violence, human trafficking, unlawful possession of firearm, contravention of the Electricity Act, contravention of the Postal and Telecommunications Act, contravention of the Public Order and Security Act or Maintenance of Peace and Order Act and any conspiracy incitement or attempt to commit any of the above mentioned offences.
Recently, two brothers from Gokwe who were beneficiaries of the amnesty killed their father for having reported them to the police which saw them earning a jail term. Unfortunately the two were seriously injured in a mob attack in which they were attacked for previous crimes.
