Conjugal visits: A far-fetched idea?

16 Aug, 2015 - 00:08 0 Views
Conjugal visits: A far-fetched idea? Partners in the health sector suggested the introduction of conjugal visits as one of the many measures to curb HIV prevalence in jails

The Sunday Mail

The rise of HIV prevalence in prisons has led to calls for the introduction of prison conjugal visits and the open prison system as ways of addressing the prevalence of HIV and Aids in prisons.

Partners in the health sector suggested the introduction of conjugal visits as one of the many measures to curb HIV prevalence in jails

Partners in the health sector suggested the introduction of conjugal visits as one of the many measures to curb HIV prevalence in jails

According to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service, HIV prevalence among prisoners stands at 28 percent.

Dr David Parirenyatwa, the Minister of Health and Child Care, attributed the prevalence of HIV and Aids to rampant homosexual activities in the country’s overcrowded jails.

Speaking at a preparatory meeting for hosting of the International Conference on Aids and Sexually Transmitted Infections, Dr Parirenyatwa also said the prevalence might be a sign that people are jailed while already infected.

Partners in the health sector suggested the introduction of conjugal visits as one of the many measures to curb HIV prevalence in jails.

A conjugal visit is a scheduled period in which an inmate is permitted to spend several hours or even days in private with a visitor, usually their legal spouse.

The parties may engage in sexual activity. Mr Edson Chiota, the chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender (Zacro), said the introduction of conjugal visits is one of the many ways of reducing HIV prevalence both in and out of prisons.

“This is not the first time that proposals for the introduction of conjugal visits have been made. Prisoners, like everyone else, have rights. Among the rights that prisoners must enjoy is the right to have sex. Once the inmates are denied this right, they are bound to find ways of relieving themselves, resulting in the spread of HIV,” Mr Chiota said.

Mr Chiota said conjugal visits are beneficial to both the inmates and their spouses.

“It is a fact that homosexuality is rife in our prison system. As stakeholders, we must come together and come up with remedies that will benefit both spouses. Conjugal visits will also benefit those spouses that are out of prison,” added Mr Chiota.

He, however, said nothing has been done to make sure that the introduction of conjugal visits in local jails becomes a reality.

“Discussions on conjugal visits have largely been conference talk. As Zimbabweans, I think we are too much into conferencing. We always have brilliant ideas but the problem is that we do not implement those ideas. The idea of conjugal visits is not a far-fetched one,” Mr Chiota said.

Human rights groups say that conjugal visits preserves family bonds and improve prisoner morale.

With the local prisons overcrowded, the country’s correctional service currently does not have the enabling facilities and funds to introduce the visits.

Dr Rita Nyamupinga, the director of the Female Prisoners Support Trust, said the correctional services should promote the open prison system.

“The introduction of conjugal visits is a noble idea from a human rights point of view. When it comes to implementation, the correctional services does not have the capacity to do so. In my view, the open prison system is the solution to the high HIV prevalence,” Dr Nyamupinga said.

Added Dr Nyamupinga: “The prisoners need food first before sex. Our jails are overcrowded and conditions are inhumane. Instead of deliberating on such near-impossible solutions as the introduction of conjugal visits, we should be thinking of how to make sure that basic health services are accessible to prisoners.”

The Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) last week issued a statement arguing that the issue of HIV and AIDS in prisons has nothing to do with homosexuality but a “practical health rights issue” which needs Government’s commitment.

GALZ suggested that long periods of detention in terrible prison conditions cause males to engage in sexual activities, dismissing the fact that all those who engage in same sex relations in prisons are homosexuals.

Questions that were e-mailed to Ms Elizabeth Banda, the spokeperson for the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, had not been responded to by the time of going to print.

History of conjugal visits

According to online sources, prison conjugal visits started in the United States and indicate that the first programme dates back to the early 1900s when a warden at Mississippi State Penitentiary introduced conjugal visits as an incentive for the (mostly black) inmates to work harder in the prison’s farming industry.

The visits were used as an incentive to motivate prisoners to be more productive. They were scheduled visits that allowed the inmate to spend one-on-one time with his or her legal spouse.

Prisoners were lured by the idea of having the opportunity to have sexual contact with their spouses. Today, the main purpose of these visits is to preserve the family unit, hence they are now called Extended Family Visits.

Extended Family Visits are open to other immediate family members, including the inmate’s children.

In 2007, the state of California made conjugal visits available to same-sex couples who are married or in a civil union.

Elsewhere, conjugal visits are not allowed in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Although Germany allows prisoners to apply for conjugal visits, screening is tough.

This follows an incident in 2010 when an inmate murdered his girlfriend and attempted suicide during a visit.

Rules governing conjugal visits were subsequently changed and security was tightened.

In countries like Venezuela and Brazil, unmarried persons are allowed weekly visits while conjugal visits are routine in Colombia.

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