II. Community Service as a Means of Reducing Prison Crowding

Prison Crowding and How Community Service Can Help

A significant problem in the realm of corrections throughout the world is that of prison overcrowding. Since the development of the first state prisons, correctional facilities have faced the problem of having too many prisoners for the available cell space. This problem stems from the long-standing idea that incarceration is the best punishment, not just for high-risk offenders, but for all offenders.

Case Study: Zimbabwe

A community service scheme was established in Zimbabwe in August of 1992 when an amendment was made to the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act. The capacity of Zimbabwe’s prisons is around sixteen thousand, but at times before this amendment was made, nearly twenty thousand people were incarcerated.