Prisons Too Full

The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services board has said that Zimbabwean prisons are so packed now that they are struggling to keep up with demand and in some instances, are struggling to even feed the prisoners.

Zimbabwean prisons have a holding capacity of 17 000. However, these prisons are 12% over capacity at the moment with close to 19 000 prisoners.

Earlier this year there were reports that inmates at Chikurubi Prison had gone for years without eating meat at all. They were then ‘rescued’ by the national parks who supplied them with game meat.

Rhodes Moyo, ZPCS Commissioner General, said that they would need $1.7 million per month to feed prisoners three meals a day:

“…[sic] If we are to feed each prisoner with standard food worth S$2 per person, we require $1.7 million against a budgetary allocation of about S$650 000 per month from government,”

The government has not commented on the issue.