Chronicle (Zimbabwe)

Inmates serving life freed

- Daniel Nemukuyu in Nyanga

PRESIDENT Mugabe has pardoned 20 inmates who were serving life imprisonme­nt, a developmen­t that complement­s the Zimbabwe Prison and Correction­al Services’ efforts to decongest the prisons.

The 20 were recently freed on the Presidenti­al Amnesty and their release coincided with a landmark Constituti­onal Court judgment declaring it unconstitu­tional for convicts to be sentenced to life in the absence of the parole board that gives them hope for freedom.

The constituti­onal challenge was sparked by the precedence that life prisoners were not being considered for presidenti­al pardon like any other offenders.

At the same time, the parole board that determines the suitabilit­y of offenders for early release only applied to offenders sentenced up to 20 years and left out the life inmates.

In an interview at a stakeholde­r’s workshop on the amendment of the Prison Act here, ZPCS Deputy Commission­er-General Huggins Machingaut­a, said while his organisati­on was still waiting for an Act enabling them to set up a parole board for life prisoners in compliance with the recent court pronouncem­ent, some 20 prisoners had been pardoned.

He disclosed that the 20 were part of the 4 088 prisoners pardoned this year by President Mugabe.

“As ZPCS, we follow the law always. When there is no written law, we wait for its enactment. We are still using the old Prisons Act, which does not provide for parole to life inmates.

“However, we are not just watching the life prisoners. Recently we released 20 life prisoners, part of the 4 088 pardoned by President this year.

“We felt the life prisoners were being disadvanta­ged and we recommende­d their release. We proved to the nation that we care for the life inmates the same way we do to other inmates with lesser sentences,” he said.

Deputy Comm-Gen Machingaut­a said ZPCS recommende­d the release of all inmates who had served 20 years in prison.

When that criterion was used, 67 inmates remained in custody and now await the enactment of the new legislativ­e framework that carries with it the latest court judgment on parole for life inmates. Most of the freed prisoners had been serving for murder. Presenting a paper at the workshop, law consultant and University of Zimbabwe lecturer Professor Geof Feltoe, said the expansion of the parole system to include life prisoners would go a long way in decongesti­ng the prisons.

“There will be an expanded system of parole for various categories of offenders, including those sentenced to life imprisonme­nt. Inmates will only be paroled after a careful risk assessment on the likelihood of released inmates re-offending.

“An expanded parole system will also help to reduce the prison population,” said Prof Feltoe.

The workshop continues today.

 ??  ?? President Mugabe
President Mugabe

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