Zimbabwe Steps Up Efforts to Modernise Prisons

23 April 2025

The Herald (Harare)

By Remember Deketeke

Government is intensifying efforts to modernise the country's prison system through the construction of smart prisons and the introduction of technology-based reforms, a senior Government official has said.

In a recent interview, the Permanent Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Vimbai Nyemba said the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) was pursuing a long-term transformation agenda aimed at bringing prison conditions in line with international human rights standards.

"This is not an event, it is a process, and it will take longer. While we are working on modernisation, we also still have to look at what we can do now with the resources that we have. But what I can tell you is that there are efforts, we have got plans to build smart prisons, like those in Uruguay and Rwanda, already we have got those plans in place."

She said the concept of smart prisons goes beyond infrastructure, it encompasses the use of advanced technologies to improve prisoner welfare and justice delivery.

"When we talk of smart prisons, we are talking of up-to-date prisons that are acceptable even by international human rights organisations, so that prisoners live in humane conditions. And when we also say smart, we are talking of a lot around technology," she said.

Mrs Nyemba added that electronic court systems are already being implemented to ease the burden of transporting inmates for routine remand hearings.

"We are trying to modernise. They do not have to go to court for their usual remands, they just have to do it virtually. Most of the prison services are now doing it. It is taking time, it is a bit slow," she said.

On the issue of improving inmate welfare, she noted that the Government has prioritised upgrading sanitary facilities in correctional centres to preserve the dignity of prisoners.

"The sanitary facilities, they are now proper, to make sure that the dignity of a person is preserved. Even in the discomfort of a cell, someone must be able to go to the bathroom, that he has got some enclosure, and that he has got a toilet facility, and not just a hall as before, with flushing systems inside, not outside as it was before."

Mrs Nyemba acknowledged the ongoing challenge of congestion in prisons, attributing part of the rise in inmate numbers to increased awareness among citizens about their rights and justice processes.

"Our prisons, wherever they are, will remain congested because people will be reporting criminal matters due to increased awareness," she said.

To address overcrowding, she said the Government has implemented several measures, including the annual amnesty programme and the introduction of a parole system. "Not necessarily that amnesty is given to anybody.

"Those that are almost close to the end of their term, those that have got lesser offences, the very old, those that are not well, those are cases that are looked into," she said. "I think last year we had a good number of people who we released."

She added that a parole system will soon be operational, which will allow low-risk inmates to serve the remainder of their sentences in the community under supervision. "The parole board is going to be put in place and will be responsible for those that go out on parole. They will still be serving their term, but from home," she explained. Mrs Nyemba emphasised that the Government is not building more prisons to encourage arrests but to ensure that inmates are housed under acceptable conditions.

"People must live freely. They must be in there freely. They must also sleep on a bed. They must also have good food. The only difference will be that they will be serving a part of their life in prison without their family."

She also addressed concerns over pretrial detention and delays in the justice system, noting that magistrates and judges are trained to consider time already spent in custody.

"Our judges and magistrates are well trained. They even appreciate the time taken in prison before someone is tried. So, when they are sentencing someone to a custodial term, that term is normally taken into account," she said.

However, she acknowledged that some cases experience delays due to logistical and administrative hurdles, including transport issues or cases that require continuation by a magistrate or judge who has been transferred.

"Those cases are supposed to be looked at separately. And I do not think there are many of those," she said.

Zimbabwe's prison modernisation efforts come at a time when global human rights bodies continue advocating for improved conditions in correctional facilities across Africa.

Read the original article on The Herald.