A look into life behind prison walls

BMetro is collaboration with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service this week launches a new column to share information about the work the ZPCS does after offenders are convicted by the courts, where much of the newspaper’s reporting has tended to end.

We believe the information shared here will shed light and also correct certain misconceptions about prison life, while also giving hope to those that may find themselves behind bars some day.

The transformation of ZPCS has turned the institution into a rehabilitation centre that is empowering multitudes of inmates with different life-sustaining skills.

The administration of the prisons was decentralised to authorise each province to tailor-make rehabilitation programmes for the benefit of inmates under their prisons.

ZPCS Bulawayo Metropolitan province commands a total of five prisons and three satellite prisons. The province boasts of different rehabilitation projects that range from agriculture, construction, workshops, sports to education, just but to mention a few.

The projects are headed by qualified personnel, responsible for imparting knowledge and skills to inmates. The hands-on approach being applied assists inmates to appreciate the hard work involved and rewards that come thereafter.

The personnel’s other main duty is to assist inmates on arrival in selecting rehabilitation programmes of choice considering their level of education, length of sentence and availability of resources for the successful completion of the programme.

To complement the efforts of the organisation, Bulawayo Metropolitan province has partnered different entities and these range from tertiary institutions, sister organisations, non-governmental organisations and other government departments who all support the drive towards the successful rehabilitation of the inmates.

This column will give an insight into the activities that take place Behind The Walls for our readers to have an appreciation of operations of ZPCS, Bulawayo Metropolitan Province in particular.

Did you know?
The oldest prison in Zimbabwe is Bulawayo Prison, which was established in 1896 as Grey Street Prison.