Malawi, Zambia exchange inmates
After a prisoners exchange transfer programme between Malawi and Zambia was completed on Monday at Mwami Border Post, relief was evident on the faces of 31 Malawian inmates that were serving sentences in Zambia.
The exchange of inmates between Malawi Prison Service and Zambia Correctional Service is a result of a Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security (JPCDS) signed in 2021 in Salima.
Speaking during the event, Malawi Prison Services commissioner responsible for operations Masauko Wiscot said the exchange is a result of bilateral agreements between the two countries stipulating that inmates should serve their sentences closer to their communities and relations.
He said: “Today’s undertaking is significant in correctional management in the sense that it offers the opportunity for effective rehabilitation by bringing offenders closer to their communities and relations.
“This in a way reduces reoffending and subsequent overcrowding in our facilities.”
Thirty-one Malawians serving sentences in Zambia were transferred to Malawi prisons while nine Zambians serving sentences in Malawi have returned to their country.
Zambia Correctional Services deputy commissioner Paul Mwizabi Simasi said the transfer exchange demonstrates commitment by the two countries to upholding the rights of inmates as stipulated in the Transfer of Convicted Persons Act.
He said: “The Zambian government has always stood ready to adopt and domesticate international instruments as well as setting up regional mechanisms that will foster improved welfare of prisoners.
“It is gratifying that the two correctional institutions have taken the resolutions seriously and engaged the respective countries’ ministries of Justice for legal opinion on the execution of this exchange transfer.”
Simasi has since warned inmates not to abuse the opportunity of serving custodial sentences in their country of origin. He also stressed the need to adequately prepare the inmates through imparting them with survival skills before they are reintegrated in society to reduce occurrence of crime.
