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Articles: Overcrowding in prisons desperate

Posted by admin on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 08:29 AM

OVERCROWDING in the country's prisons has been cited as having the most negative collective effect on the sector.
On Wednesday, Minister of Prisons and Correctional Services Andimba Toivo ya Toivo bemoaned his paltry budget allocation of N$130 million for the 2004-05 financial year, saying it was too little to deal with ailing infrastructure and the provision of basic needs for the country's nearly 5 000 inmates. Speaking in the National Assembly, Ya Toivo said the allocation of only 1,1 per cent of the national Budget for prison services was almost N$50 million too little to meet minimal internationally recognised standards. "Overcrowding in our prison institutions remains one of the greatest challenges we continue to confront," he told MPs, saying that none of them could be sure that they would not one day find themselves behind bars. "We should guard against looking down on correctional issues as any one of us here is not permanently absolved of entrance into our corrections institutions one day or the other," said ya Toivo, drawing chuckles from fellow MPs. "We must do unto others currently in our prisons, as we would have it done to us, if and when we find ourselves in there," he said. With 80 per cent of the budget being channelled to personnel expenditure, Ya Toivo said his Ministry's allocation was too little to ensure the safe custody of offenders and to meet their rehabilitation and re-integration needs. Ya Toivo said staff morale was low as a result of the current situation and that the health of inmates, especially those infected with HIV-AIDS, was particularly at risk because of overcrowded conditions. "The walls are dilapidated, there is no furniture, everything is broken down. It is the same as Police stations. Maybe it looks good outside, but if you go in there and look, you will be disappointed," he said. Prisoners, he said, were wearing ragged and patched clothing - a situation he described as "shameful". The increasing prison population, the Minister said, also meant that his Ministry was faced with a shortage of specialised staff to render services to those in custody. Rehabilitation programmes, he said, were not being carried out as intended because social workers were overloaded. With the Prison's budget not permitting the purchase of additional vehicles over the past four years, transport was another critical problem. He reminded the House that prisoners had to be transported long distances to court every day. "The situation can only be solved if adequate funds are allocated to my Ministry, unfortunately the situation can worsen if the current trend continues," he added. The largest chunk of this year's Prisons budget (N$111 million) will go towards providing safe custody to offenders and providing for their basic needs. Running rehabilitation and re-integration programmes will also come from this budget. The Prison Service is also expected to generate N$724 000 over the next year through its agricultural projects. Some 228 offenders are involved in agricultural work at Divundu, Farm Scott, Hardap, Omaruru, Oluno and Swakopmund. During the past financial year, more than N$3 million was generated from agricultural produce. In addition, two bakeries were built at the Divundu and the Oluno prisons last year. More than 300 prisoners are also involved in mechanics, upholstery, carpentry and construction projects at industrial workshops at the Windhoek, Oluno, Hardap and Divundu Prisons.

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