President Professor Peter Mutharika Today, presided over the graduation of 730 Recruit Prison Warders, the largest graduation in the history of the Malawi Prison Service.
Peter Mutharika said he felt personally gratified because the large graduation was in support of the Public Service Reforms Programme which his young administration has recently launched to ensure improved service delivery in the public sector that satisfies the demands and aspirations of the general public.
He continued to write on his Facebook which in itself has become a more reliable source of news, marks another important milestone in enhancing public security and promoting human rights and a favorable environment for socioeconomic development.
Peter Mutharika said however, his Government recognizes the challenges the Malawi Prisons Service is going through and the efforts that are being made to address them.
He assured those in attendance that Government is aware among other problems of the high level overcrowding in Malawi prisons. Similarly, the issue of poor and dilapidated Prison infrastructure and this Government is tirelessly working to address these challenges. Efforts are being made by Government with support from stakeholders to construct new prisons as well as expansion of existing infrastructures.
Tireless Peter Mutharika said, Government is aware of the problem of understaffing in the Malawi Prison Service which has put the warden to prisoner ratio at around 1:10 against the internationally recommended ratio of 1:5. This therefore, is the main reason that the Government has recruited and trained the 730 prison warders that are graduating today. The trend will continue until we get closer to the recommended ratio as set out by the United Nations.
He said his administration will continue to create a conducive environment for community participation in public security programs including correctional work. It is for this reason that my Government is working on the review of the Malawi Prisons Act to make sure that prisons are governed within a framework that is in line with the United Nations standard minimum rules for the treatment of offenders.
My dream is to see a Prison Act which puts rehabilitation of offenders at the center of prison work. My administration wants Prisons to be viewed as places where people who are found on the wrong side of the law are given a chance to change into useful citizens and not detention centers for punishment.
He closed by saying, May God Bless Malawi and May God Bless You All.
