Open prison for female offenders

Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) is planning on placing all female offenders in open prisons once the Government secures funds for the construction of Marondera Open Prison, an official has said.

The open prison requires over $700 000. In an interview during the commissioning of Mvuma magistrate’s court, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Commissioner-General, Retired Major-General Paradzai Zimondi said all female offenders qualified to be in open prisons as they constitute a smaller percentage of the prison population.

“All female prisoners in Zimbabwe qualify to be in an open prison. Women offenders have not gone beyond
1 000 countrywide at any given time. So far we have slightly over 300 female offenders. All the female offenders can be put in open prisons because they qualify,” he said.

Rtd Maj-Gen Zimondi said ZPSC was in the process of mobilising resources for the construction of Marondera Open Prison for female offenders.

“As the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, we will remain committed to continuously introduce reforms that benefit our clientele and beyond. Some of the reforms include the opening up of the open prisons where the reintegration process takes place given that these would serve as halfway homes. In this vein, as soon as resources permit construction work on the Marondera Open Prison for female offenders would commence in earnest. Plans are to equip Marondera Open Prison for female offenders just as good as Connemara Open Prison for male offenders in an effort to ensure its effective and efficient operations so that it attains its set goals and objectives,” he said.

Rtd Maj-Gen Zimondi said ZPCS had plans of setting up open prisons in each and every province throughout the country.

“We have got 10 operational provinces in the country. Our intention is to have an open prison in each and every province. We have one in Midlands Province and we are now looking at the Marondera Open Prison. We have the site already but what is lacking are the resources for the project to go ahead,” he said.

Rtd Maj-Gen Zimondi said ZPCS had the capacity to feed all the prison inmates despite them exceeding the prisons holding capacity.

“We have over 18 000 prisoners against a holding capacity of 17 000. Of these less than 500 are women. However, we are not very much affected as we are able to feed them adequately in terms of our staple food. Probably we might need more meat, cooking oil and other nutritious foods. There is adequate food in the prisons,” he said.