Re-offending rates among inmates in Malawi are declining, a development the Malawi Prison Service has attributed to expanded rehabilitation and reintegration programmes targeting prisoners before their release.
Malawi Prison Service Public Relations Officer Steve Meke said the country’s prison population currently stands at about 15,000, with more than 60 percent comprising youthful offenders.
He noted that authorities have stepped up life-changing initiatives aimed at equipping inmates with practical skills to ease their transition back into society.
According to Meke, common offences among inmates include robbery with violence, housebreaking, and causing grievous harm.
However, he said sustained reforms within correctional facilities are beginning to yield positive results in reducing repeat offences.
“We are witnessing a decline in the number of inmates reoffending because of several factors, including enhanced life-changing programmes and awareness initiatives that have reduced the resistance ex-inmates used to face,” Meke said.
He added that female inmates remain a minority within the prison population and rarely return to custody after serving their sentences, a trend he described as encouraging.
With the majority of inmates being young people, the Prison Service is urging them to fully embrace reformation, rehabilitation, and transformation programmes offered during incarceration.
Meke said the energy and adaptability of young offenders make them well-positioned to acquire skills that can help them secure livelihoods upon release.
The intensified focus on vocational training and personal development, he said, is designed to ensure former inmates reintegrate successfully into their communities and avoid a return to crime, ultimately contributing to safer societies.
