We applaud recent efforts by President Ian Khama to visit prisoners at the maximum prison. It is a milestone event that shows that our leadership is concerned about the welfare of prisoners. The important thing about such a visit is that it plays a big correctional role.
Such a visit also instills a feeling of repentance.
Whatever wrong they might have done, prisoners are still part of society.
The fact of the matter is that many of them will rejoin society after serving their terms. That is why it is important that they should be rehabilitated, so that they blend well and cope with the rest of the world when they are released.
While we applaud the President’s visit, we want to point out that generally the government falls far too short when it comes to preparing inmates for a life after prison.
For many former inmates, no sooner are they out of the prison halls than they are back again.
This is because they have not been prepared for a life outside the prison halls.
It is disheartening to see that in general terms many people in government do not appreciate the real reasons behind putting people into jail.
There seems to be a perception that prison is a form of punishment; nothing more, nothing less.
Government seems to think that incarceration on its own is enough to teach those who break the law a lesson.
That is wrong. We should strive by all means to take care of our prisoners, regardless of their wrongs.
This is especially true for those who have done their time successfully.
Shunning them defeats the whole idea of rehabilitation. If we shun them, we cannot blame them if they repeat their mistakes.
What then will we have achieved? The result will be more crime.
Thus it is imperative that our prisons system should strive to ensure that rehabilitation becomes the focus of their operations; Rehabilitation , not retribution.
To achieve that Government should put more effort into ensuring that we equip our prisoners with skills that will help them to earn a living when they are released. We should teach them to be responsible people who, regardless of their wrongs, will learn from their mistakes and make an effort to earn an honest living and make a meaningful contribution to society.
At the same time, we should teach society to learn to forgive and accept former inmates. Society should learn that, whatever transgressions they may have committed, prisoners can learn from their mistakes and become upright individuals. Society should not shun ex inmates, but rather embrace them as sons and daughters who have learnt from their mistakes. Many a time, people are driven to crime because they feel left out. Many job applications, even those from government, demand that applicants should not have criminal records.
On that score the decision of the government of Botswana to continue to deny prisoners condoms is a shame. It undermines efforts to fight HIV-Aids. It contradicts the commendable efforts made by Botswana to fight HIV-Aids.
It does not make sense for us to give prisoners ARVs and then deny them condoms.
It puts them at a greater risk of re-infection.
To make matters worse, the Botswana Government does not give foreigners ARVs.
We also call upon the Commissioner of Prisons to be more open and receptive to the media and the public.
We want to see an improvement in the working conditions of prisons officials; we want to hear the prisons commissioner advocating for the improvement of the welfare and rehabilitation of prisoners. We want the prisons commissioner to tell us of the developments that are going on in BPS.
