SO much has been said about the deplorable conditions in the country's 55 prisons.

That Zimbabwe's prisons have failed to ensure that the welfare and or upkeep of inmates meet the minimum standards expected of such correctional institutions is an understatement.

They have simply abdicated their responsibility. They have become death chambers where those found on the wrong side of the law die in silence.

But because the law in Zimbabwe has been applied like a spider web that catches smaller insects only to let the big ones through, no one within the corridors of power has bothered to raise the finger against such horrendous conditions in Zimbabwe's prisons.

It has taken the SABC crew and its rolling cameras to shake the foundation of the authorities' silence and jolt them into action.

A video footage, filmed secretly by a news crew from the SABC, has shown inmates at two of the country's prisons in a skeletal state. The images beg the question: What has gone wrong with the prison service?

At least 20 prisoners die everyday in the country's prisons due to preventable diseases and hunger.

The SABC investigative documentary depicted images of prisoners in a despicable state.

The documentary Hell Hole graphically illustrates inmates surviving on a handful of the staple sadza and or maize-meal porridge.

There are reports of a cholera outbreak in the prisons with prisoners suffering from skin diseases such as pellagra and respiratory infections.

Pellagra is a disease caused by the lack of vitamins and proteins.

There are also reports that prison gardens were being looted, ostensibly by the Zimbabwe Prison Service (ZPS) officials, highlighting the magnitude of the moral decadence blighting Zimbabwe's otherwise conservative society.

Prison guards are now compromising security at the prisons because of the frustrating working conditions and poor salaries.

Is it therefore surprising that SABC cameras were smuggled into the country's prisons?

But following the broadcast of the SABC documentary three warders fingered for smuggling in the cameras were arrested and will soon face the full wrath of the ZPS officials who were caught sleeping on the job.

Is this not the case of shooting the messenger for bringing the bad news?

Heads should roll at the ZPS for further bringing the country's bad name into disrepute. Incompetence of the manner shown on SABC and other news channels cannot be tolerated in any civilised society.

The basic principle behind the establishment of the prison service is one of punishment and rehabilitation of offenders. But the conditions in these correctional institutions must be humane.

Zimbabwe is bellied by a prison service that cannot deliver on both including the basics such as providing a basic statutory diet that can be consumed by the thousands of prisoners currently being held in the country's penitentiaries.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa has admitted the country's prisons are in shambles.

"Economic hardships are hitting hardest inside prisons. There are no uniforms; food requirements are not being met. We are required to meet a statutory diet, but it is not being complied with; rations for prisoners are not being supplied due to inadequate funding. We have recorded malnutrition cases," Chinamasa told the last session of Parliament.

It is not enough for the Justice Minister to simply admit that there are dire conditions being experienced by the country's 14,000 prisoners.

The Minister has to go the extra mile and address this embarrassing situation, which has brought the country under international spotlight for the wrong reason altogether.

How does the prison service fail to deliver these basics and yet it operates swathes of agricultural estates throughout the country which must feed into these correctional facilities? Could it be that the prisoners are toiling daily at some chefs' farms, leaving the ZPS estates in a derelict state?

Admittedly, the prison services do not operate in isolation. They are affected by the micro and macro-economic imbalances at play. Naturally, when the economy catches a cold as is the case with Zimbabwe, the prisons will also sneeze.

There must not be any excuse however, for the government to keep inmates in inhuman conditions.

Why not send the terminally ill inmates on parole? Why not pardon the smaller offenders who are stretching the little resources allocated to these correctional facilities?

It has been mentioned by Chinamasa that the ZPS has been put down as a priority area under the Short Term Emergency Recovery Programme (STERP).

How does STERP hope to improve the efficacy of service delivery within the prisons? Where will the government get the resources?

Although some people may wish to blame the appalling prison conditions, malnutrition and the outbreak of preventable diseases on sanctions, they must at the same time ask themselves how the prison authorities are utilising their farms to ensure maximum food production.

The prison service certainly needs help.

There needs to be a professional management of the agricultural estates to ensure food security for inmates.

There is a need to train managers not only to balance their books, but also to ensure that resources are put to good use.

Zimbabwe also needs to strengthen the correctional function of the prison service so that it can start serving as a rehabilitation or reintegration institution. That way the country can minimise the recurrence of crime.

It is pleasing to hear ZPS' boss Retired Major General Paradzayi Zimondi urging the State to prioritise the improvement of conditions for both staff and prisoners.

Something definitely needs to be done by the relevant ministries.

Non-governmental organisations should also take a cue from some of their colleagues who are supporting inmates at Chikurubi Female Prison with basics including drugs, food, sanitary ware, blankets and treated water.

The Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender, a non-governmental organisation advocating the rights of prisoners, should also step in and see how it can assist instead of barking from the sidelines about how government is not doing this or that.

Since the government has always been aware of the plight of prisoners, it is time the powers-that-be stopped digging their heels in and acted - for life is a precious commodity that cannot be replaced.