Orange is the new green for inmates

The Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) has confirmed that some inmates in the country's prisons are currently wearing civilian clothes, as it is in the process of phasing out the traditionally used green uniforms in favour of new orange jailhouse gear.

According to the NCS, some inmates are wearing civilian clothes until the rest of the green uniforms become unusable.

This is after inmates were observed in civilian clothes recently.

The head of the NCS general staff directorate, Commissioner Sam Shaalulange, said: “Regarding the offenders' uniforms, the NCS would like to acknowledge that there is indeed a shortage of uniforms.

However, the department has procured a new orange material and we are in the process of obtaining industrial sewing machines to manufacture these uniforms.

“We are now going to have a new uniform in a different colour.

“What is happening now, we are just waiting for the current material (green) to get finished, because we can't throw it away and we have to utilise it, while we are busy producing the new uniforms.” Shaalulange said the new uniforms are being produced by the inmates themselves at correctional facilities.

He could, however, not say when the new uniforms will be introduced, only saying they require industrial tailoring machineries, in order to produce the uniforms in bulk.

He added that due to cognisance of a wide range of criminogenic factors prominent in the country, a multitude of intervention programmes are designed by the NCS that target education training and employability, family relationships, lifestyle, associates and criminal attitudes, alcohol and drug use, personality and thinking, emotional well-being and the pattern of criminal offending.

ILENI NANDJATO