KEY POINTS
- Young adults between 20 and 29 make up the largest group of new prison admissions in Zimbabwe.
- Zimbabwe’s prisons discharged 18,009 inmates in the second quarter of 2024, with the majority being male.
- Harare reported the highest number of crimes, with significant rates of theft and sexual violence.
According to the latest report from the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (ZimStats), the prisons in Zimbabwe are experiencing an increasing influx of young adults, with a large number of new inmates falling between the ages of 20 and 29.
The report for the second quarter of 2024 indicates that the age group of 20 to 24 years old has the highest number of incarcerated individuals, totalling 3,348. This is closely followed by those aged 25 to 29, with 3,155 prisoners.
The data further shows that these age groups are predominant among new prison admissions, forming the largest proportion of new inmates across the country.
For both male and female populations, the majority of prisoners are aged 20 to 24, followed by the 25 to 29 group. The report noted a decreasing trend in new admissions with increasing age, starting from the 20 to 24 age bracket.
“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,” the report states.
It also highlights that most new female prisoners fell into the 20 to 24 age group, followed by the 25 to 29 category.
Crime statistics and discharges
During the second quarter of 2024, the prisons discharged a total of 18,009 inmates. Of these, 16,919 (93.9%) were male and 1,090 (6.1%) were female.
According to a report by Newsday, ZimStats also disclosed that Harare reported the highest number of crimes with 59,075 cases, followed by the Midlands province with 26,790 cases and Mashonaland Central with 20,560 cases. Other regions like Masvingo, Mashonaland East, and Bulawayo also reported high crime rates.
Among the crime categories, sexual violence was documented with 2,970 cases, reflecting a rate of 19.6 per 100,000 population. Theft was the most prevalent crime, with 36,112 reported cases or a rate of 237.9 per 100,000 population. Assaults and threats of harm were also common, with 25,394 cases reported, amounting to a rate of 167.3 per 100,000 population.
