The smuggling of drugs, weapons and mobile phones into jails is another worrying scourge in Botswana. The Minister of Defense and Security, Kagiso Mmusi revealed this during a media briefing recently stating that the Botswana Prisons Service (BPS) has in recent years experienced a surge in the influx of prohibited articles being smuggled into prison facilities especially mobile phones and drugs.

Mmusi stated that in order to ensure safety and security within prisons, the service has established the strategic operational support units being rapid response teams, prison police unit and prison intelligence unit in 2022.

However, Mmusi said the service offers psycho social programmes to offenders to correct their offending behaviour. He stated that a total of 681 prisoners have been enrolled in character moulding programmes while 1,638 have been offered counselling services.

He added that the service has also introduced the offender reintegration programme, which is delivered in partnership with the community in ensuring successful offender/victim reconciliation, acceptance and effective reintegration.

“This was done out of the realisation that involvement of the community is key. The programme provides platform for participation of the community in offender reintegration through community-based committees,” he said.

Mmusi stated that 426 community-based reintegration committees have been formed across the country and a total of 151 prisoners have been successfully handed over to the committees. He revealed that none of these ex-offenders has reoffended so far.

He, however, stated that the offenders and prison officers continue to be of profound importance to the ministry. He further revealed that currently there is an ongoing board of inquiry regarding the Kasane prison incident where one inmate unfortunately lost his life and an officer is still recovering.

Mmusi added that the service has introduced Gender-Based Violence (GBV) perpetrators programme, which is intended to assist offenders who have committed gender based offences. He revealed that so far 484 inmates have been enrolled in the programme.

He said the service has about 3,968 prisoners under its care which includes remands and sentenced prisoners. Mmusi stated that according to the latest statistics, the service has managed to reduce escapes from 0.35% to 0.1% despite the recent escape of two inmates.

Moreover, Mmusi said in a move to be self-sufficient, the service has in place an initiative which targets utilisation of 35 hectares of land available for horticulture production to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetable production. He revealed that the initiative has led to an increase in production of vegetables and field crops with all prisoners being fed with vegetables produced in their gardens.

He said in addition, the service also produces grains and legume plants as well as fodder through rain fed agriculture.

“It is envisaged that these new developments shall go a long way in lessening government spending on feeding of prisoners,” he said.

In the past appearing before Public Accounts Committee (PAC) the service disclosed its aspiration to contribute to the country’s food security by embarking on rehabilitative farming. Then, the service revealed that with protocols followed, inmates would be compensated for skills rendered.

Prisons said if they put inmates for production line for profit they will be forced to compensate them because they would be using their skills. The service said they would start by feeding inmates and after receiving the land from the Ministry of Agriculture they will consistently feed the nation.

The PAC supported the service’s desire to feed the nation stating that it is the only way that the service could keep inmates busy as there is a say ‘the devil normally finds some duty for idle hands’. Then, PAC members said inmates are at prison for rehabilitation and one of the things that could help with is farming.