Rhodesia's expanding prison population has prompted the regime into undertaking a number of major new building projects, despite the financial pressures of the war effort. * A new, three-storey maximum security prison is under construction at Chikurubi Prison Farm outside Salisbury. The work is being carried out by Murray and Roberts Rhodesia Ltd and is intended to supplement the facilities of the existing Maximum Security Prison within the confines of the city. * A new women's prison has been built at Chikurubi, and is being extended. * A new prison for detainees is under construction at Wha Wha, near Gwelo, "capable of easy conversion to a young persons prison, if conditions change." * Prisons at Beitbridge and Karoi are being extended to cope with "the inevitable increase in demand which accompanies development and closer settlement of the district." * At Fort Victoria, the new George Grange farm prison is being developed near Kyle Dam to eventually replace the old prison in the centre of the town. * A new young persons prison - i.e. 16-20 year olds - is to be established at Chikurubi. Financial provision for this project has been included in the three-year development plan of the Ministry of Justice, Law and Order and work will begin as soon as funds are available.
Apart from criminal and common law offenders, at least 1,000 people are now known to be serving prison terms or under sentence of death for political offences in Rhodesia, the overwhelming majority having been tried and convicted under the Law and Order (Maintenance) Act. A similar number are in detention without charge or trial on "security grounds".
