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Herald Reporter
African countries under the banner Africa Correctional Services Association (ACSA) have committed to modernising prisons infrastructure and move on from the punitive focus to rehabilitation.
Zimbabwe joined other African colleagues from June 7 – 10 on a platform to facilitate the exchange of experiences, best practices and lessons learned in prisons management, and especially in infrastructure operation and maintenance.
Other countries in attendance included ESwatini, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
In a Joint Communique, issued after the workshop, the participating countries said the workshop focused its efforts on further developing a draft “Prison Facilities Operation and Maintenance Guide” for Africa.
They observed that “most of the prison structures in Africa were built in the 19th and 20th Centuries with a punitive focus,” reads part of the communique.
“Reflecting on prison safety and the core objective of prisons, corrections and penitentiary Institutions which is the protection of members of the society through humane custody, successful reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration.”
Participants underlined the need to improve and adapt the structures and conditions of imprisonment in line with the regional and international standards.
They reaffirmed centrality and pertinence of humane conditions and treatment of inmates for African correctional services as expressed in the Mandela Rules: “All prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings” and urged African States to develop policies to enhance the same.
“We further stress that proper prison infrastructure including its operation and maintenance are key for establishing a humane environment that enables future reintegration of prisoners as responsible and productive citizens within society.
“This is especially important among young adults, who account for the vast majority of the prison population in Africa.”
The Workshop stressed the challenges faced by African correctional services in terms of prison infrastructure and maintenance, as well as the humanitarian consequences, like outdated facilities, insufficient resources, inadequate public health environment, health care and rehabilitation, thereby threatening the moral and physical integrity of the entire prison community.
To help address these challenges, African States were urged to enhance budgetary provisions accordingly.
“The meeting is hailed as a landmark event in the production of a prison facilities operation and maintenance guide that shall serve as a cornerstone for humane prison conditions in Africa and beyond for many years to come.”
Online Reporter