Zimstat’s
Prison
and
Correctional
Services
Report,
which
analyses
inmates
admitted
during
the
third
quarter
of
2025,
shows
that
9
603
new
prisoners,
56.1%
of
admissions,
were
employed
before
incarceration.
This
compares
with
7
526
inmates,
or
43.9%,
who
were
unemployed.
The
proportion
of
employed
inmates
marks
an
increase
from
53%
recorded
in
the
second
quarter
of
2025.
The
report
examines
the
socio-economic
characteristics
of
newly
admitted
inmates,
including
age,
nationality,
education
level
and
employment
status,
offering
insight
into
trends
within
Zimbabwe’s
correctional
system.
Zimstat
data
also
reveals
notable
gender
differences.
Among
newly
admitted
male
prisoners,
42.8%
were
unemployed,
down
from
46.2%
in
the
previous
quarter.
In
contrast,
unemployment
among
newly
admitted
female
prisoners
rose
slightly,
from
56.6%
in
the
second
quarter
to
57.5%
in
the
third
quarter
of
2025.
During
the
same
period,
Zimbabwe’s
overall
prison
population
increased
sharply,
rising
from
24
089
at
the
end
of
the
second
quarter
to
25
916
by
the
end
of
the
third
quarter
of
2025.
The
male
prison
population
grew
from
23
284
to
24
957,
while
the
number
of
female
inmates
increased
from
805
to
959.
The
Zimbabwe
Prisons
and
Correctional
Service
(ZPCS)
currently
operates
49
main
prisons
and
31
satellite
prisons
across
the
country.
Midlands
Province
has
the
highest
number
of
main
prisons,
with
eight
facilities,
followed
by
Mashonaland
East
with
seven.
Manicaland
and
Harare
have
six
main
prisons
each,
while
Mashonaland
Central,
Matabeleland
South
and
Masvingo
have
the
fewest,
with
three
each.