Chikurubi Female Prison in Zimbabwe hit a record with 24 babies living behind bars alongside their incarcerated mothers, and prison officials said eight more women are pregnant. The facility holds 424 inmates despite being designed for 315 people, and Chief Correctional Officer Rumbidzayi Mugomba confirmed this marks the highest inmate count since the complex opened in 1970.
Visiting Commissioner General Phindile Dhlamini from Eswatini suggested parole systems could help reduce the number of kids stuck in lockup, and she praised Zimbabwe for setting up a preschool plus mixing prison babies with outside children to prevent development issues. The prison assigned a male officer to help infants get comfortable around father figures before release.
Commissioner Charity Gezi highlighted recent justice reforms, and officials are converting old execution chambers into a museum while opening a recording studio for inmates to build reintegration skills.
Visiting Commissioner General Phindile Dhlamini from Eswatini suggested parole systems could help reduce the number of kids stuck in lockup, and she praised Zimbabwe for setting up a preschool plus mixing prison babies with outside children to prevent development issues. The prison assigned a male officer to help infants get comfortable around father figures before release.
Commissioner Charity Gezi highlighted recent justice reforms, and officials are converting old execution chambers into a museum while opening a recording studio for inmates to build reintegration skills.
