THE Zambia Correctional Service has revealed that the country’s prison population currently stands at 24,000 against a holding capacity of 9,150, translating to an overpopulation of 162 percent. And Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe says government is considering decriminalisation of petty offences and the use of non-custodial sentences. Speaking during the launch of the 2022 prisons audit in Lusaka, Tuesday, ZCS commissioner general Fredrick Chilukutu lamented that overcrowding in the country’s correctional facilities had reached alarming levels. “Allow me to mention that the Zambia Correctional Service has been experiencing unprecedented increase in the prison population. Overcrowding in the country’s prisons and Correctional Centres has reached alarming levels. Currently, the average daily unlock stands around 24,000 against the holding capacity of 9,150...