Community service in Africa: An alternative to imprisonment

In Africa, hundreds of thousands of people are packed into prisons that are overcrowded, dilapidated, unsanitary, inhumane and ineffective for prisoners’ rehabilitation and crime prevention.

In 1992, Zimbabwe introduced Community Service. Very quickly this alternative proved itself to be more humane, less expensive and a more efficient response to crime.

This film, made in 2004, by Samson Giorgis and Cécile Marcel for PRI, charts the progressive introduction of Community Service to Africa through examples in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Burkina Faso and highlights the benefits for offenders and their families, governments and the community at large.

26mins