The Sunday News
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Tinomuda Chakanyuka Sunday News Reporter
PLANS to set up a female open prison in Marondera are being hampered by lack of resources, forcing Government to defer construction of the facility to next year, a Government official has revealed.
Speaking to Sunday News recently, Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Cde Fortune Chasi said Government was through with the technical work of setting up the facility but could not start work on the construction of the prison due to a lack of resources.
He said as a result of the funding constraints, Government had pushed forward the project to next year with the hope that by then adequate funding would have been secured.
“The plan for prison is now in place and the technical part of how the prison will work is already in place. The only challenge that we are facing is lack of resources. Right now we cannot take the first step on the project because we don’t have the money.
“We have pushed the project further and hope that next year we will get an improved budget allocation that would allow us to start working on the prison,” he said.
Cde Chasi could not give the estimated cost of setting up the open prison or reveal the carrying capacity of the facility that is expected to better the lives of female inmates, particularly those with children.
He, however, said Government was open to assistance from its partners in setting up the open prison.
“At the moment I can’t really say off the cuff how much setting up the prison will cost us. As you know, women constitute a small percentage of inmates so we are not looking at a very big establishment. I would need to revisit the plan to say exactly how big the prison will be in terms of carrying capacity.
“We would be happy if someone comes forward and proposes to assist us with funds to construct the prison. We work with a lot of partners and if any of those willing to work with us on this project, we are quite open,” he said.
Cde Chasi said Government plans were to set up a modern facility that would allow inmates’ children to interact more with the society as well as get access to education until their mothers complete serving their sentence.
He said the open prison facility would not accommodate all female prisoners but cater for certain inmates following specific criteria determined by technical staff at the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services.
Cde Chasi said the setting up of the open prison would not lead to closure of other female prisons in the country, as those would remain catering for a certain class of female offenders.
“The open prison will revolve around certain criteria that our technical people would lay out. Not every female prisoner would be admitted to the facility. For example, armed robbers and murderers can’t be put in such a facility.
“Our plan is to come up with a modern open prison that will accommodate inmates and their children, allowing children opportunities to interact with society as well as get access to education among other such needs. Women do not have a history of escaping from prison or aiding and abeting prison escapes, so this prison will not be as strict as the other prison you know,” he said.
“It should be noted that we don’t intend to shut other female prisons. Those ones will remain catering for female offenders who don’t meet the criteria to be admitted into the open prison.”
Open prison is a system where inmates with relatively light sentences can check in at the prisons, but are free to visit their families during weekends and holidays.
There were more than 70 minors in 42 prisons across the country before President Mugabe’s recent pardon of more than 2 000 prisoners.
The First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe, recently expressed concern at the prison system for jailed mothers with their babies calling for an immediate policy reform.
She said it was unfair for the innocent children to be jailed together with their mothers.
Convicted female prisoners are routinely locked up with their young children — unless they consent to leave their babies with relatives.
Amai Mugabe also offered to look after some of the children who are staying with their jailed mothers in various prisons around the country.