ZIMBABWE’S prisons continue to see a growing influx of young people, with most of the new inmates aged between 20 and 29, according to a latest report released by the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (ZimStats).
The Prison, Crime and Statistics report for the second quarter of 2024, showed that the age group 20 to 24 has the highest number of prisoners with 3 348 incarcerated during the period, followed closely by the 25 to 29 age group, which accounted for 3 155 prisoners.
The report revealed that this age bracket dominated new prison admissions, making up the largest proportion of new inmates in Zimbabwe.
Ages 20 to 24 constituted the majority of male prisoners, followed by those aged 25 to 29, while the same pattern was observed among female prisoners.
“The highest proportion of new prisoners was in the 20 to 24 years followed by those of ages 25 to 29 years. The highest share of new male prisoners was between 20 and 24 years of age, followed by those aged 25 to 29.
“Most new female prisoners were in the broad 20 to 24 age group followed by those who were in the 25 to 29 age group. It can be observed that from the age group 20 to 24 going up, the number of both male and female new prisoners decreased with increasing age.
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“This report provides statistics on the number of persons who were in prison, new admissions and those who were discharged from the country’s prison facilities during the second quarter of 2024,” the report read.
According to ZimStats, beyond the age of 24, new prison admissions began to decrease significantly for both males and females, indicating that youth offenders make up a disproportionate share of the prison population.
In the second quarter of 2024, a total of 18 009 prisoners were discharged from Zimbabwean prisons. Of these, 16 919 (93,9%) were male and 1 090 (6,1%) were female.
Zimstat also revealed that Harare recorded the highest number of reported crimes at 59 075 cases.
This was followed by the Midlands province, which had 26 790 cases and Mashonaland Central with 20 560 cases. Masvingo, Mashonaland East and Bulawayo also recorded significant crime rates, with 18 254, 15 047 and 14 967 cases, respectively.
In terms of crime categories, there were 2 970 cases of sexual violence recorded, reflecting a crime rate of 19,6 per 100 000 population.
Theft remained a prevalent issue, with 36 112 cases reported, equating to 237,9 per 100 000 population. Assaults and threats of harm were also frequent, with 25 394 cases recorded, representing a rate of 167,3 per 100 000 population.