If conjugal visits are implemented, Botswana will join countries like South Africa, Canada and the United States where such arrangements are permitted and structured within prison systems
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
The Botswana Prison Service (BPS) is considering introduction of conjugal visits as part of efforts to strengthen family ties and improve inmate welfare, the Commissioner of Prisons, Anthony Mokento, has revealed.
However, there are currently no structures or facilities in place to support such visits.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mokento said the proposal is still being discussed and has not yet been implemented.
Inmates’ emotional well-being
He added that the idea is being explored to enhance inmates’ emotional well-being by allowing them closer contact with their spouses or partners.
“For this initiative to be rolled out, there must first be a formal policy framework,” Mokento said, adding that only then could resources be mobilised to construct suitable facilities for conjugal visits.
The Commissioner emphasised that implementing conjugal visits will require substantial planning, including legislative backing and adequate funding.
“A policy has to come first, and once that is in place, we can move forward with budgetary provisions for the necessary infrastructure,” Mokento told the committee.
Sexual violence
Currently, due to the lack of sexual relief mechanisms, there have been reports of sexual violence within prisons, including inmates forcing themselves on one another.
The absence of conjugal visits is seen as a contributing factor to same-sex relationships among inmates that often emerge as a means of relieving sexual tension.
These same-sex relationships are also viewed as a potential factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS because inmates are not provided with condoms but instead benefit from educational programmes aimed at helping them view such relationships differently.
If conjugal visits are implemented, Botswana will join countries like South Africa, Canada and the United States where such arrangements are permitted and structured within prison systems.