Zimbabwe’s prison population rises to 25,990 after amnesty

The figures, attributed to ZimStat’s second-quarter prison report, show continued pressure on correctional facilities. Compared with the official capacity of 17,800 cited by the Prosecutor-General in January, the June population was more than 8,000 above the available places.

The quarterly increase came after the prison service identified 4,305 inmates eligible for the presidential amnesty. Releases began in early March, with some beneficiaries due to leave in stages.

What the figures show

Most people newly admitted during the quarter were unsentenced. However, this does not mean that most people held in prison were awaiting trial or sentence.

At the end of June, sentenced inmates accounted for 84.7% of the prison population. The unsentenced population fell during the quarter, while the sentenced population increased.

That distinction matters. Admissions measure people entering the system over a period, while the quarter-end population measures those still held at a particular time. The proportion of unsentenced arrivals alone cannot establish what drove the increase in the total population.

ZimStat’s figures also identified assault as the leading offence among new admissions. People aged 25 to 29 formed the largest age group.

In January, Prosecutor-General Loice Matanda-Moyo instructed prosecutors to consider overcrowding when dealing with bail and sentencing. She called for alternatives to imprisonment where appropriate, including fines and community service after conviction.

Her January memo cited a prison population of 27,683, higher than ZimStat’s June total. The figures refer to different dates. The available reporting does not establish whether differences in coverage or counting methods also contributed, so they should not be treated as directly comparable.

Pressure remains after the amnesty

The amnesty targeted eligible convicted inmates, including specified vulnerable groups and people serving shorter sentences. It excluded offences including murder, rape, treason and armed robbery.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi described the measure as intended to support rehabilitation and reduce congestion. The 4,305 figure represented eligible beneficiaries, rather than confirmation that everyone was released on the same day.

The subsequent rise between March and June shows that the system remained under pressure. It does not establish that people released under the amnesty returned to prison.

Understanding that increase requires examining admissions, releases, sentence lengths and the time taken to conclude cases. The June figures show that an amnesty alone had not brought the prison population within the capacity cited by prosecutors.