THE Zambia Correctional Services Commissioner General Dr Chisela Chileshe says campaigns in correctional facilities will be conducted with guidance from the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
And Dr Chileshe says conjugal rights will be granted to well behaved inmates.
Dr Chileshe said this during a courtesy call on Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Bright Nundwe in Ndola on Wednesday morning.
Dr Chileshe said campaigns in prisons would be guided by the ECZ.
“Yes, there is a court ruling that was passed. Ours is to follow what the ECZ guides. So the ECZ will give guidance and as we will follow that. But remember, there are rules that our facilities follow. If there are people who are enlightened, [they] are prisoners, because they have the whole time to follow what is happening outside. So campaigns will be guided,” he said
He insisted that the Correctional service would support President Edgar Lungu and his government without reserve.
“We will support His Excellency Edgar Lungu and government without reserve. And this should be made very clear,” Dr Chileshe said.
And Dr Chileshe said well behaved inmates would get conjugal visits.
He said conjugal rights were not only about sex, but family meetings and integration.
“Conjugal rights will be provided for inmates that behave well. It is not only about sex but meeting their families. This will help them fend for their families while they are serving a sentence. Even families will be able to appreciate that our member committed a crime and that they are serving a sentence,” Dr Chisela said.
He also said the problem of congestion in facilities was serious.
“We have a problem of congestion in all our facilities. We have come up with open air facilities. Chitwe will be an open air facility. Leave the custodial active cases and security risk cases. Small cases and non security cases we take them to the farms. We hope the farms will not be for hard labour. So inmates will learn how to operate mechanized equipment,” he said.
“We want to support the welfare of the inmates. Congestion will be done away. Copperbelt is the second biggest with the number of inmates in the country. It has all the facilities in all towns and it has the second bigger number of officers. So we have a lot of interest on the Copperbelt.
Kamfinsa is the biggest facility carrying the bigger number of in mates in the whole country. What is happening at Kamfinsa shows the work that is being done.”
Dr Chileshe said he was on the Copperbelt to see the production centers in Luanshya for the irrigation project.
And Nundwe said people needed to be well disciplined to avoid prison.
“Let people be well disciplined. Earn money after labour. You can’t have money after stealing all the time. People on the Copperbelt should go in farming as a source of livelihood,” said Nundwe.
