-call for awareness campaigns
KIMBERLY KUSAUKA
HARARE-The May 19 Presidential amnesty which has seen over 4000 prisoners being released has brought joy and anger in equal measure as victims are bitter while those who benefited are smiling all the way home.
Some analysts are of the strong view that the Government should embark on an educational and awareness blitz before releasing prisoners into society in order to avoid shock waves from beneficiaries and victims.
Girls and Women Empowerment Network (GWEN) Trust Director, Kumbirayi Kahiya expressed serious reservations on the presidential amnesty as she said if not properly handled may endanger the communities.
‘‘Its regressive, we want a society that everyone feels free to be part of, these convicts have only served for four years and some of them even one year for serious crimes like rape and murder. By merely watching the videos, their faces did not show that they have been rehabilitated.
‘‘The rapists and murderers are not supposed to be released since most of them end up committing the same crime. They should rather serve their full terms,’’ said Kahiya.
She said the President should have considered the safety of victims and the society at large when releasing convicts on parole.
‘‘I once posted on this issue, the presidential amnesty is shocking and we expect better from our leaders whom should be looking after the welfare of the nation at large,’’ said Kahiya.
She said the lives of women and girls is now in danger and there is no safe place for them as there are abused at home and in the community as well.
‘‘It’s our worry that our girl child and women are not safe in their households and in the community, where else can they be safe,’’ said Kahiya.
Heaven Embassy Church Pastor, Admire Mupwanyiwa said the amnesty is a good move as the people who are released would have been monitored and deserve to be set free.
‘‘I think the amnesty is a good move looking at issue of mercy and justice, so I think they also have a way of looking at the convicts and now prisons are called correctional services where people are corrected.
‘‘Their behaviours are moulded, there are chaplains who visit the prisons to preach for them to repent,’’ said Mupwanyiwa.
He said the system has to be two way, where the community has to be educated on the importance of amnesty and to receive the released prisoners back into the community.
‘‘The amnesty has to be a two way approach where there is supposed to be education for people outside to accept the once convicted back, not everyone would have committed a crime.
‘‘The victims have to be prepared to face the people who wronged them as well as the people from the communities these people would have been living in,’’ said Mupwanyiwa.
Former Masvingo Prosecutor, Makaita Chikamhi Magarezano said she has no complaint with the current presidential amnesty or any other amnesty but emphasised that there should be proper education for the ordinary citizens as well as facilities where the released prisoners have to stay while they are provided with food at the same time being monitored.
‘‘Regarding this year’s amnesty or any other amnesty I do not have any objections but I do have a problem with an amnesty that is not well prepared for the people being released and the community itself.
‘‘Amnesties should be different where the people coming out has to have a place to stay, food and resources where they should be monitored, while the public has to be made aware on the people they are meeting and also to be educated on how to help them and not to be afraid of the people coming out of the correctional facilities,’’ said Magarezano.
She said that most people who would have been released would commit crimes because they do not have a place in the community.
‘‘Most people go back to the life of crime because of the harsh conditions that they face when they are out, the crimes that are being committed these days are petty crimes for survival.
‘‘I saw the video of the returning residents where they were happy but I realised that reality will soon settle in where they are going back to face the people they have wronged from the communities that they used to live in and obviously they are going to face rejection,’’ said Magarezano.
She questioned the law where one’s criminal record keeps showing up even when the person has fully served their sentence.
‘‘There is this one aspect I have in regards to our criminal justice system which is the criminal record, it is disturbing, what is the purpose of labelling someone a criminal for the rest of their lives even if they have served.
‘‘It is a disadvantage where they are not taken in for employment, they cannot have their Visa as anybody else and they are sometimes barred from attending universities and colleges where they do not take people with criminal records.
‘‘The criminal record makes the returning residents less human and that’s worrisome, so the current situation where the society is afraid and not opening up and affording second chances.
“It makes the society even more dangerous because the cycle continues where anyone who gets stuck in the criminal justice system will not come out,’’ said Magarezano.
She said that there should be a budget channelled towards amnesty and awareness to the general public before the amnesty is implemented.
‘‘I have no objection with this presidential amnesty or any other but the way that it is being done, I feel there should be a budget and awareness campaigns before our loved ones are released out of prison.
“If people are taught how to relate to people coming out of correctional facilities they would not be afraid and we will be living in harmony,’’ said Maregazano.
Advocate Dereck Charamba said the presidential amnesty is a commendable move which decongests prisons and sets free those people with petty crimes but it is however used for political gain.
‘‘The idea of presidential amnesty is a noble idea but it is normally abused by politicians who end up releasing Zanu Pf members and people with political connections instead of benefitting the ordinary people.
‘‘It decongests the prisoners and helps those people with small offenses to quickly get back their freedom,’’ said Charamba.
Presidential amnesty was viewed by many as a good initiative to reduce the number of inmates in crowded prisons all over the country.
Prisoners who committed crimes such as murder, carjacking, human trafficking and sexual offenses but had served three quarters of their sentences were released.
Magarezano emphasised on the lack of proper sensitization for ordinary citizens and the lack of programmes that assist with employment, housing, business start-ups, and counselling services by the government in partnership with non-government organisations and local communities for returning citizens once outside of prison.
Prisoners will have a higher chance of successfully reintegrating into society with such support mechanisms, and as a result, it will lower the likelihood of recidivism.
“The government must also launch public awareness campaigns to highlight the advantages of rehabilitation and the need for neighbourhood assistance for individuals reintegrating into society.
“To achieve successful reintegration of ex-prisoners into society, it is essential for the government to create a friendly environment where both society and discharged prisoners will coexist in harmony,” said Magarezano.
