Thirty eight inmates from the Copperbelt Region will be released on parole tomorrow, November 20th.
Zambia Prisons Service (ZPS) Senior Superintendent Daniel Chiwela said this will be the third group of inmates to be released on parole following the National Parole Board’s recommendation.
Mr. Chiwela said in statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday that this was according to the subsequent approval by the Commissioner of Prisons as provided for in the Parole Rules in pursuant to the Statutory Instrument number 101 of 2008 and in the Prisons Act Cap 97 of the Laws of Zambia.
He said Board members of the National Parole Board have been trained both locally and abroad in order to equip them to face challenges that they may face when implementing programmes of the parole system.
Mr. Chiwela said the inmates shall receive support and shall be under supervision adding that the they have undergone behavioral treatment and have attained skills in prison.
The first group of 23 parolees from Lusaka region was released on July 27th, while the second group of 59 inmates from Central Region was released on October 16th.
Conditional release entails an inmate is given some time in the community as a parolee to serve the remainder of sentence under conditions.The inmate is therefore a licensee to serve part of their sentence outside prison gates in the community so that they can fend for themselves eventually, once discharged from prison.
ZANIS
Guys welcome back to society.To those who were unfairly convicted,may God be with you and to those who committed various crime,I pray and hope that you have repented.
i thought that the idea of parole was to decongest the prisons ,but the number is to low,why
This iz very welcome, and allow me to just echo what #1 haz said. However, we should hope and trust that the parole fascility iz not abuzed or uzed by the system to do favourz to thoze percieved previledged.
I am told FTJ and his thieving wife Regina are among those released !
Take them back,they will steal from us.
I welcome the idea however, we need more programs aimed at ex-offenders in the community. Some of these guys could be utilised in schools to talk about their experiences in jail so that young people could not follow that path. We need to be proactive in implementing some of these strategies.