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Zimbabwe
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SOCIAL CONDITION
Zimbabwe’s forty prisons are bursting at the seams with inmates.
The introduction
of community service has helped lessen the overcrowding
Community Service is a Court order whereby the offender is offered the opportunity of compensating society for the wrongs he/her has done, by performing work for the benefit of the community, instead of going to prison. In September 1993, the organisation, Penal Reform International (PRI), helped the Zimbabwe government establish the scheme, with funding, during the years 1994-1997 coming from the European Community and especially the United Kingdom government.
In July 1997, the government of Zimbabwe took over the scheme. A secretariat with a co-ordinator and 12 regional assistants was established. A High Court Judge chairs the national committee, with other members being the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Prisons, the Social Welfare Department and the Chief Magistrate. The project’s structure is covered by the Criminal Procedure and Evidence (Community Service) Regulations S.I.12/98.
Who qualifies for community service?
Not all convicts qualify for community service. The courts must consider the nature of the offence and the circumstances of the offender. Prisoners found guilty of such offenses as murder, rape, armed robbery, cattle rustling, car stealing, cannot be considered for community service. The courts also have to keep in mind if this is a first offence; does the prisoner have a fixed abode? What is the nature of his/her employment; their age and skills.
Since the inception of community service, various schools, clinics, hospitals, old peoples’ homes and government departments have been utilising the scheme to develop and rehabilitate their infrastructures. In Lupane-Matebeleland Province, offenders have helped rural communities work in the fields. The produce frequently benefits orphans and children under a supplementary feeding scheme.
As the scheme gradually gains momentum, various law enforcement agencies are interested in further developing the scheme. But there seems to be a breakdown in communication between the judiciary and the prison service on this issue. Joseph Kuveya is a former prisoner and a first-time offender. He recalls that he was sent to prison and had to mix with hard-core offenders. He says: «It is a tragedy that the judiciary appears not to know what the prison service is doing. First-time offenders should not be mixing with hard-core criminals». And Mr E.S. Mavonyani, a Midlands Province magistrate insists: «Counselling must be incorporated in the Community Service scheme, as we have to deal with a criminal mind which must be shown there are better things in life».
Truth to say, the situation in Zimbabwe’s prisons is pretty desperate. Some prisoners have to wear torn uniforms, sleep close to each other in rows, others have no shoes. In October 2000, there were 22,000 inmates within prison walls, instead of the 16,000 which can be accommodated decently.
Other African countries have shown interest in the Community Service scheme. Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia are already introducing the scheme, and Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Lesotho, Mozambique and Senegal, among others, are keeping a watching brief on the whole experiment. Time will tell if the Community Service scheme will help reduce Zimbabwe’s «harvest of convicts.»
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