Pokanis asks for K5mil to ease overcrowding in prison

CORRECTIONAL Services Commissioner Stephen Pokanis is asking the Government to allocate K5 million to build new dormitories at Buimo Prison to ease overcrowding there.
He said the prison was in a “critical situation” right now. “We have to find ways together to stop this,” Pokanis said. “All resources and efforts should be concentrated on Buimo. Once we solve this, we can look at other (prisons).
“There are issues in all the (prisons) but Buimo is the one that (urgently needs) to be looked into.”
Pokanis said prison budget proposals submitted to the Government every year were not considered seriously.
For 2020, the department had asked for at least K5 million to build more dormitories to ease overcrowding, and some to be used by the warders themselves.
“If we do that, there will be less killing, we can reduce the escapes and we can increase manpower.
“We cannot do that now because there is no accommodation for prison officers.”
Buimo should be holding only 460 but 1,002 are living there.
“If we have money, we will build a fence so that the visits and others are done inside.”