Lubinda says there is need to come up with proposals on how the law can be amended so that access to bail becomes law. Mr Lubinda said a law is required to make it easy for accused persons to access bail without applying for it.

“This matter is not up to me but society,” he said. Mr Lubinda, said this on Wednesday when the Human Rights Commission (HRC) presented a report to him on their findings on the status of prisons in Zambia. He said Government is working on automising the handling of court cases to make them easily accessible.

Mr Lubinda said the automatic handling of court cases will reduce cases of records going missing. “It will also help us know when inmates are supposed to be released from correctional facilities with a click of a button [of a computer],” he said. He said Government is working on investing in more and better correctional facilities, which are 220 percent overcrowded.

Mr Lubinda urged t h e commission to share the findings with all stakeholders so that they can work on improving inmates’ lives. H R C d i r e c t o r F l o r e n c e Chibwesha expressed concern at the human rights violation of denying bail and bond to accused persons. Ms Chibwesha said accused persons are given harsh bail conditions which make it difficult for them to meet, hence remaining in custody.

“Sometimes sureties are asked to present payslips and these harsh conditions make it difficult for people to access bail or bond,” she said. She said the commission’s findings established that inmates are not separated whether one is a remaindee or convict and that patients are equally placed in one bay regardless of their illness. Ms Chibwesha said nutrition is also an issue as inmates only have one meal a day at 16:00 hours. “There is also no proper diet for circumstantial children,” she said.