HARARE: A large number of elderly men found in prison during the first quarter of the year had committed rape crimes, among other sexual offences, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat).
In its 2023 Quarterly Prison Admissions and Discharges Statistics from the beginning of the year to March, ZimStat said figures provided by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) showed that 12,558 new prisoners were admitted to the country’s 48 jails.
They comprised 93.2 per cent males and 6.8 percent females. This brought the total number of prisoners in the country’s jails to 23,982.
“More than a quarter, 28.1 per cent of the crimes that led to the imprisonment of male prisoners aged 60 years and above were rape charges,” New Ziana citing the report said.
ZIMSTAT collects administrative data on prisoners from ZPCS for use in the production of reports to aid the country in planning as it shed light on the prison population, the number and profile of prisoners who get admitted into, and those who get discharged from the country’s prison facilities.
“Unemployed male prisoners were mostly admitted for theft (17.9 per cent), assault (16.1 per cent) and burglary (13.0 per cent). Unemployed female prisoners were mostly admitted for theft (24.3 per cent) and drug-related offences (16.6 per cent).
Most of the new prisoners were admitted into prison for committing theft, assaults, burglary, robbery (other) and domestic violence.
The statistics also showed most of the offenders who commited assault, theft and bulgary ranged from having no education to upper secondary education, while prisoners that had completed tertiary education were mostly imprisoned for other theft and fraud.
Employed and self-employed males committed mostly theft, assault, burglary and robbery (without firearm) while unemployed female prisoners were most imprisoned for theft and drug related offences, according to the report. – BERNAMA-NEW ZIANA
