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NewsDay

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Society should accommodate pardoned prisoners

Opinion & Analysis
The 2000 convicts who walked out of prison on Monday after a presidential amnesty are a challenge to all of us to expedite their reintegration into society.

The 2000 convicts who walked out of prison on Monday after a presidential amnesty are a challenge to all of us to expedite their reintegration into society. NewsDay Editorial

It is imperative for the Zimbabwean community to understand prison as a purgatory institution where offenders undergo purification as it were, so that they rejoin society as better people. In most cases the person who enters prison is not the same one that comes out.

The reformation process makes many prisoners repent after careful analysis of their mistakes. We have had hardcore criminals who came out of prison better people.

Such people have become successful businesspeople, pastors, musicians, administrators etc. This is only achievable if society accepts ex-convicts as human beings who have paid their debt by serving time in prison, people who are ready to be reintegrated.

We all deserve a second chance if we err in life and if we don’t get it we are most likely to fall back into our old destructive selves.

This is the same with the 2 000 souls that walked out of those prison gates. They deserve to fall into our open arms so that they pick up the pieces of their lives and contribute to the development of the country. The rehabilitation and reintegration of the ex-convicts should be a collective responsibility.

Relatives and friends of those coming back into society should understand that prison is meant to reform and not to harden inmates. We should, therefore, as society soften our hearts and embrace these returnees so that that they live meaningful lives again. If these people fail to re-integrate, we should understand our culpability especially if we fail to give them a second chance.

The onus is upon us to assist these men and women to reconcile with themselves and society. It is important to understand that these ex-inmates are still victims of difficult circumstances that they need to deal with.

Society should not add salt to injury as it were by creating more difficult conditions for people who want to show repentance and move on with their lives.

There are lots of ex-convicts whose skills can be used for the betterment of society and it is important that all facets of society accept these people for their knowledge and skills rather than shun them for sins they committed long ago. Industry should therefore give those who are skilled jobs that are commensurate with their knowledge.

It is important that the government, especially the civil service, relaxes harsh laws pertaining to the employment of ex-convicts. Why should society condemn people to life in prison even after serving time?

We need to move with the times and assist those who have erred to reform. We are not saying that ex-convicts should not play their part in the reintegration process by relapsing into criminal activities; we are simply saying that the larger role in their re-acceptance is played by society.

Let us play our part in giving them back their dignity.