Online Reporter
Latwell Nyangu
THE Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) Family Week has been hailed as a path to reintegration integration between society and inmates, as over 27 000 visitors visited their relatives, who are serving jail terms during the period from April 6 to 12.
According to the ZPCS, Harare Metropolitan Province statistics, the total cumulative of visits is 27 214 for 10,000 inmates.
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) Family Week ran under the theme: “Rehabilitation – A Collective Responsibility.”
In an interview, Superintendent Gwauya Mutuke, Staff Officer, Rehabilitation and Integration, for Harare Metropolitan Province, said the Family Week programme forms part of ZPCS’s broader shift from a punitive system to a correctional and rehabilitation-focused approach.
“The Family Week is a very important too with regards to rehabilitation and reintegration since it brings families together and it adds value to relationships where relatives are allowed to come and interact with their relatives.
“It amends relationships, even broken ones are solved.
“It also allows inmates to share their experiences of incarceration with their families and plan with their relatives,” he said.
He said, the visitors came in their numbers.
“At Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, we received, 9350, including children, mothers
“At Harare Central, we had 8727 visitors, Chikurubi Female, 1776, Chikurubi Farm, 1270, Kentak 1270, Remand, we had 4359, Psychiatric Unit, we had 590.
“A cumulative total visit to 10 000 inmates, we had 27 214 for 10,000 inmates.”
Supt Mutuke, said, the initiative is designed to support inmates’ eventual reintegration into society by strengthening family ties, which are key to reducing reoffending and promoting social stability.
“People came in their numbers, and it gave us an opportunity to identify those inmates who had no visitors.
“We are happy with this initiative, it was overwhelming.
“The psychological support helps inmates to have peace of mind.
“Even the inmates also feel peaceful, but to those who had no relatives, they were visited by some stakeholders.
“We believe everyone had a visitor, despite some not seeing their relatives.
“We thank our Commissioner General for providing this programme.”
ZPCS said the huge numbers signal a success in mending broken families.
“Family Week is part of reintegration and rehabilitation, which helps bring peace of mind,
“Kuuya muchiona munhu, it means our efforts for reintegration, they will be preparing the day they return home.
“It shows, acceptance and integration, and it becomes successful when the inmate is accepted back into society.
“We are also teaching them skills so that when they leave prison, they will be fully equipped,” he added.
Prison authorities said this will go a long way in achieving the integration and reintegration of offenders back into society.
Mathew Masinge