GOVERNMENT ASKED TO DECONGEST PRISONS

 

By Esther Manduwa

The Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance has asked government to decongest the country’s prisons by releasing some prisoners with minor offences to reduce the risk of Covid-19 amongst inmates.

While commending government for introducing mass testing exercise in the correction centers, Executive director for CHREEA Victor Mhango said the development could be meaningful if prisons were decongested.

Mhango said government should consider prisoners who are old, those that committed minor offenses, women who have children as well as those who are about to finish serving their sentences.

As of Thursday, the country’s prisons had recorded eighty cases of covid-19 which includes inmates, suspects on remand, prison staff and staff relatives.