Prisons boss hails murder convicts

KENNETH KOBEDI
Correspondent | Thursday May 8, 2008 00:00

 

'I am at liberty to prove this because many of those that we meet on the streets are always engaged in community projects and (are) not willing to repeat the same mistakes,' he told North West District councillors. He said during his many years at the department of prisons, he has observed that prisoners convicted of murder are the most remorseful and trusted because they never re-offend and they always show regret. He urged councillors to help in fighting crime in their wards. He told councillors that as community leaders, they should assist in educating members of the public about the dangers of giving prisoners condoms. He said the supply of condoms to prisoners will encourage sex in jail and this is an offence as the law does not allow people of the same sex to have intercourse.

He said the prisons department is doing all it can to rehabilitate prisoners so that they come to terms with their incarceration. The department trains prisoners in various trades so that they can become better citizens after release. Mmese said the public should be made aware of the importance of visiting imprisoned relatives because failure to do so will make them feel unwanted and rejected by their families. Upon their release, ex-prisoners who were neglected by relatives while in jail turn to friends who were their partners in crime, but were not convicted. 'Get me right. I am saying this from experience because our statistics show that most prisoners that we have at this point in time have been in prison more than once in their life time,' he said. Mmese is the prisons divisional commander for the north region.

Councillor Motlamedi Moqwa of Gumare North requested him to provide transport for prisoners who are released temporarily to attend funerals of close relatives. He said the hardest hit are those coming from far away places such as Seronga because their villages are not accessible by road.

He said the prisons department only issues travel warrants to prisoners using the road and not boats. Specially elected councillor Daisy Wright asked Mmese if the department of prisons can arrange for inmates to be accommodated according to age to avoid the many fights that take place due to overcrowding. In response, Mmese said currently, there are additional prisons being built to help tackle the problem of overcrowding even though the number of law-breakers keep rising by the day. He regretted that they cannot issue warrants for prisoners travelling by boat or lifts as the law does not allow it. In areas where there is no public transport, prisoners are always expected to fend for themselves and they do not get a refund.