Over 460 foreign inmates held in Namibia - Witbooi

A total of 465 foreign inmates are currently incarcerated in the country.Deputy home affairs minister Lucia Witbooi shared this statistic during a special session of the National Assembly on Monday while presenting her motivation for the ratification of the draft SADC protocol on the inter-state transfer of sentenced offenders.Witbooi said that of the 465 foreign inmates, 459 are from the SADC region, while 15 are from countries outside the region."At the same time, 69 Namibian citizens are serving sentences in various countries across the SADC region," she told parliament. Close to family The main objective of the draft initiative of inter-state transfers of sentenced offenders in the region is to allow convicted individuals to serve their sentences in their home countries. The protocol was approved by the SADC summit and signed in August 2019.Witbooi emphasised that inmates serving sentences in foreign countries face challenges with rehabilitation and societal reintegration."Studies have consistently found that inmates who maintain close contact with their family members while incarcerated have better post-release outcomes and lower reoffending rates," she explained.Squeezed tight She also noted that transferring foreign inmates to their home countries would help alleviate overcrowding in prisons.Three months ago, Namibian Police chief Joseph Shikongo raised concerns about overcrowding in police cells across the country. He criticised the practice of officers arresting individuals for schedule one offences on Thursdays, knowing that Friday is the only court day, which forces detainees to spend the entire weekend in custody, further exacerbating overcrowding.The Wanaheda police cells have housed over 200 inmates at a time. In Katima Mulilo, cells designed for 80 inmates have held up to 300. Similarly, in the Kavango East Region, police holding cells, with a capacity of just 260, are currently accommodating more than 394 inmates across four police stations.

Over 460 foreign inmates held in Namibia - Witbooi

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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Over 460 foreign inmates held in Namibia - Witbooi

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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