Harare (New Zina) -Zimbabwe’s prison population shot to 22 878 during the fourth quarter last year, up from 22 156 at the end of the third quarter of the same year, latest statistics have shown.

The Southern African country has 48 main and 32 satellite prisons across the country with a capacity to hold 17 000 inmates, which are run by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS).

Two of the prisons are exclusively for female inmates while 17 are for men only, and the rest are mixed gender.

In its 2024 fourth quarter prisons admissions and discharges statistics report, ZIMSTAT said latest figures from the ZPCS show that males constitute 96.7 percent of the prison population, while females make up 3.3 percent, with the national imprisonment rate standing at 146 prisoners per 100 000 people.

The total prison population comprises 22 130 males and 748 females with 77.4 percent of the prisoners having been sentenced, while 22.6 percent are unsentenced.

A large number of the new prisoners were admitted for committing theft, assaults, burglary, and other criminal acts, with the 20-24 age group accounting for the highest proportion of new prisoners, most of whom had attained lower secondary or some secondary education.

At least 14 670 new prisoners were admitted during the fourth quarter of last year, with 93.1 percent being male and 6.9 percent female.

Employed prisoners made up 53.2 percent of the total, while 46.1 percent of new male prisoners and 56.1 percent of new female prisoners were unemployed.

New Ziana