PRISONS LAW REFORMS WELCOME

Tue, 26 Dec 2017 11:19:56 +0000

By CHITE MTONGA

THE Zambia Correctional Service will push for law reforms next year that will fit in with the transformed institution whose core values included prisoner reformation, Commissioner General Percy Chato has said.

Mr Chato said the Prison Act has limitations on how the transformed institution operates hence the need to push for a new Bill that will fit it with its core values.

He said the prison service had transformed into an institution that was there to convert individuals who had erred into responsible and law abiding citizens.

He said the Prison Act did not provide for a correctional service and therefore the bill would broaden the mandate of the correctional service to emphasize the rehabilitation of inmates.

He told the Daily Nation in an interview that the correctional service was geared to work as an entity that would provide a service to persons that were on the path to reformation and not mere punishment.

Mr Chato said government had shown commitment to serving its citizens by reforming the institution from just a prison service into a correctional service that would prepare prisoners to be well incorporated into society.

He said the correctional service was pleased to note that President Lungu in 2016 had finally proclaimed that the prison service should play a reformatory role towards prisoners.

“We are delighted that the prisons service was finally declared as a place where people would not only reflect upon their lives but find solace, the prison act is deficient in some areas so we believe that the paradigm shift into a correctional service will give us leverage,” he said.

Mr Chato said 2017 was a year that was challenging to the institution but many land mark successes were scored.

“We had challenges with congestion in our prisons as like it has already been reported over the years, but we are glad to note that this year we have worked towards expanding our bed space capacity tremendously, and we hope that the completion of the correctional facility in mwembeshi will assist with the challenges we have with congestion,” he said.

Mr Chato said the correctional service contributed in agriculture as it was able to harvest 63,000 by 50kgs bags of maize.

He concludes by saying that government was building 42 staff houses in Kabwe at mukobeko maximum prison that were earmarked for commissioning in march 2018.

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