The Lubango Central Prison was designed to house 520 inmates and a total of 1,226 inmates are currently interned in that prison establishment, a fact that worries the management of Prison Services in the province of Huíla
The director of Prison Services in the Province of Huíla, deputy prison commissioner Pedro Maria Luemba, is concerned regarding the overcrowding in the Lubango Central Prison, which is why he calls for combined efforts between social actors to reduce the crime rate in the province.
The official said that this “struggle” might be overcome with the opening of the Matala Prison, scheduled for this year, whose works have been progressing at a good pace since the previous year. Even so, the official stated that the construction of more prisons in the country will not be the best way to end overcrowding in these establishments, having said that this involves educating citizens, which must involve all social actors, with main emphasis on families, schools and churches.
In the Lubango Central Prison, which was designed to house 520 inmates, a total of 1,226 inmates are hospitalized, of which 989 are detained and 537 are convicted. “We have exceeded the installed capacity of our prison, we have more than 1,000 inmates, when our capacity is only 500, this worries us a lot.
It is necessary to work even more on educating citizens so that they avoid coming into conflict with the law”, he advised. Even so, the provincial director of Prison Services in Huíla assured that food assistance to inmates is being provided without any difficulty, with the delivery of three meals a day. Medical and medication assistance is also being guaranteed for bedridden inmates, as there is a fully equipped medical post.
Inclusion of the criminal population in national production For some time now, the process of including the criminal population in national production has been underway throughout the country, as well as improving their diet with the cultivation of various products. Pedro Maria Luemba reported that, although not on a large scale, the penal population in the province of Huíla has been contributing to the production of vegetables, tubers and cereals consumed by them, and the surplus has been sold.
“We are heading in the right direction, we have been recording positive results in this process of including the criminal population in national production. Along this path, this agricultural year, we plan to cultivate 40 hectares with the main emphasis on cereals and vegetables,” he said. In addition to agriculture, Pedro Maria Luemba said that more than 100 inmates are also being trained in various professional specialties, with courses lasting 45 days, in partnership with the National Institute of Professional Training (INEFOP). The courses in mechanics, metalwork, carpentry, cooking, pastry and cutting and sewing stand out.
BY: João Katombela, in Huíla
