News / National
Senate Human Rights Committee Tours Zim Prisons
15 Dec 2011 at 08:47hrs | Views
Senate Human Rights Thematic Committee Chairman Misheck Marava, senator
for Zaka, said conditions in Zimbabwean prisons have greatly improved
from 2007 and 2008, when prisoners were often severely affected by the
country's profound economic woes, the Voice of America reported on
Wednesday.
Marava said that since last year his committee has been touring prisons and members are currently investigating conditions in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North provinces.
Zimbabwe has 42 prisons with a holding capacity of 17,000 inmates. At present such penal institutions hold just 14,600 - 3,500 of them in remand custody awaiting trial.
Justice Ministry Permanent Secretary David Mangota recently said the country was losing millions of dollars in taxpayer money due to serious over-crowding in remand prisons.
Marava told VOA reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that while things were looking better in the prisons in general, the needs of female prisoners with babies must be met.
Marava said that since last year his committee has been touring prisons and members are currently investigating conditions in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North provinces.
Zimbabwe has 42 prisons with a holding capacity of 17,000 inmates. At present such penal institutions hold just 14,600 - 3,500 of them in remand custody awaiting trial.
Justice Ministry Permanent Secretary David Mangota recently said the country was losing millions of dollars in taxpayer money due to serious over-crowding in remand prisons.
Marava told VOA reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that while things were looking better in the prisons in general, the needs of female prisoners with babies must be met.
Source - VOA
