The Parliamentary Committee on National security and foreign affairs is on the Copperbelt to check on how the correctional service is applying the parole system to decongest the facilities.
Committee Chairperson Sibongile Mwamba says the presidential parole, therefore, is a tool to help decongest correctional facilities in the country.
Mr Sibongile said this when the parliamentary committee called on Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo at his office in Ndola yesterday.
“Today we are here to check on the correctional facilities to know how parole is working to decongest the prisons. The prisons are decongested, so we need to find how parole should effectively help in this process,” Ms. Mwamba said.
And Mr. Matambo informed the committee that the number of those being incarcerated is higher than those that are being released on parole in the province.
Mr. Matambo said there is also a need to empower the inmates who are released on parole or complete their sentences to help them reintegrate into society.
Yesterday, Zambia Correctional Services Copperbelt Province command led by regional commanding officer James Nkoloma told the minister that the province has 5, 960 inmates in the nine correctional facilities across the province.
Meanwhile, the Local Government, Housing and Chiefs Affairs Parliamentary Committee Chairperson Simon Mwale said the committee was also in the province to check on the state of township roads.
Mr. Mwale said the parliamentarians want to understand the challenges that local authorities are facing in ensuring that the township roads are maintained and remain in a good state.
And Mr. Matambo stated that there is need to work on most of the township roads in the province as they are in a deplorable state.
Mr. Matambo observed that the Copperbelt province is critical to the country’s economy hence the need to ensure that the roads are worked on.
There are grey areas in the manner recommendations are made for parole. What I hear is unpleasant
Why are we not building more prisons …should be waiting for Presidential pardons?
A lot of things happen there at the Parole board. There is need to build more correctional facilities as most of them are in poor state and need demolishing. As long as one is in good shape we are all potential guest to the correctional facilities.
Presidential parole should target minor cases and petty thieves to leave room for PF big thieves and looters, fraudsters and treasonous cases.
The Cannabis inmates must be sent to rehab Centres