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Fortunate Gora Mash West Correspondent
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services in Mashonaland West Province is hosting a family week to allow inmates to interact with friends and family at its prisons across the province.

In a statement, the ZPCS spokesperson for Mashonaland West Province, Mr Peter Chaparanganda, said inmates will receive their relatives until Sunday.

He said the family week was meant to improve the rehabilitation of offenders while facilitating their re-integration into society through enhanced interaction with various stakeholders such as churches and other interested parties.

Mr Chaparanganda said visits to prisons were usually regulated, taking cognisance of the security situation that inmates posed, but during the family week regulations were relaxed.

“Regulations are somehow relaxed to enable anyone to be visited in the spirit of increased interaction between offenders and society,” he said.

The society, he said, had a very significant role in the rehabilitation and re-integration process of inmates.

Mr Chaparanganda urged all the visitors to bring well-cooked food, but in limited quantities.

The food, he said, will be inspected by the ZPCS health food supervisors.

“Visits shall be conducted during normal hours from 8am to 4pm with visitors enjoying longer periods of interaction at the discretion of officers-in-charge,” he said.

The ZPCS also acknowledged some organisations and individuals who have taken the responsibility to visit some inmates who are rarely visited by their relatives.

Mr Chaparanganda said the institution also had another special group of people that needed consideration and care which included pregnant women, children accompanying their mothers in prison, juveniles as well as offenders with mental challenges.