29
DOC/OS(XXX111)/324c/I
Work
Some inmates work. These are a minority in the big prisons, yet some of these
establishments are considered as being rehabilitation centres (Oluno). In E.
Nepemba juvenile centre, the high percentage of workers is explained by the fact
that the centre is under construction and most of the inmates are adults who are
engaged in the construction of the centre. Divundu is a prison farm that has several
projects in which up to 275 people will be able to work in the long run.
Prison
Number of
workers
Percentage of total
prison population
Oluno
74
10.8%
Windhoek
200
15.6%
Hardap
200
20.3%
E. Nepemba
83
65.8%
Divundu
218
94.7%
Prisoners who work have a working day of 7 to 10 hours daily. They are usually
employed in prison activities (cooks and assistants, cleaners and teachers in the
educational programmes), in prison industrial workshops (building sites at Omaruru
and E. Nepemba Centre, or in workshops that carry out painting, sewing,
mechanical, electrical, metallurgical, brick-making, plumbing and carpentry activities
in Windhoek, Oluno and Divundu prisons) or outside the prisons (agricultural
activities in Oluno, Divundu, Hardap and Walvis Bay to a lesser extent, or as help for
temporary private employers who use prison labour). In general, the prisoners who
are allowed to work are those with short-term sentences, those with appropriate
qualifications or those who are reaching the end of their sentence and who the
administration deem to have had good behaviour. Convicted prisoners who have to
re-attend court on other charges are not allowed to work.
Prisoners who work in prison programmes receive wages calculated on the basis of
their qualifications, professions, prior experience, etc. The inmates who work outside
prison as prison labour are not paid. The prison administration charges their
employers 4 NAD per person per day.
The Special Rapporteur found that the work and safety conditions could be
hazardous for the prisoners and encouraged the authorities to implement all the
required standards of hygiene and safety (Windhoek, E. Nepemba) and to supply all
the necessary safety equipment (goggles, gloves and safety boots, appropriate work
clothes, covers and guards for machinery, etc.).
It should be noted that in many establishments, prisoners are allowed to set up
small craft industries (Walvis Bay, Oluno, Windhoek, E. Nepemba). The Special
Rapporteur encouraged these initiatives and praised the prisoners' talent.
Education
Most prisons provide literacy classes. Classes at primary and secondary level
recognised by the Ministry of Education are taught from April to September. The
teachers are prisoners. Prisoners who study in prison sometimes find it difficult to sit
their exams outside (transport problems). It should be noted that in Namibia
education is not free, including for prisoners. Some prisoners complained that it is
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