Hilary Muza 
THE deplorable state in which our prisons and police detention facilities are in is a cause for concern to anyone with respect for human dignity.
Human rights groups led by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and the Law Society of Zimbabwe have in the past challenged the dehumanising conditions of police cells as being unconstitutional but they have achieved little success.
Despite this setback, more pressure needs to be exerted on government so that it urgently addresses the numerous problems that have perennially dogged our prison system.
It is high time our penal system joined the tide and introduced modern standards that ensure that prisoners are accorded rights in line with the spirit of fair treatment of others and democracy.
To minimise the potentiality of violating prisoners’ rights by incarcerating them in inhabitable institutions, drastic as well as gradual remedial steps need to be taken to transform not only the prisons but police cells as well.
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