By SARAH MWANZA –
PRISONS Care and Counselling Association (PRISCA) has bemoaned the hypocrisy of most churches who only preach the gospel in correctional facilities but fail to integrate ex-prisoners into society.
PRISCA Executive Director Godfery Malembeka said it was disheartening to see different churches fighting to preach to inmates but yet leave them to languish in society upon their release.
Dr Malembeka explained that it was high time that the church understood that prisoners needed more than the just the gospel to survive.
In an interview during the week, Dr Malembeka said the church should comprehend that there was life after a jail sentence and aim at offering a decent livelihood to those that have been released.
He said churches should not only be preaching the gospel and going back home with their bibles but should  go beyond preaching to integrate ex-prisoner back into society.
Dr Malembeka added that as if mocking for some churches to extract testimonies from prisoners and make them repent and yet leave them to suffer upon release.
“We call on the church not to just to be interested in preaching the word of God, the church should complete the cycle and find employment for ex-prisoners,” he said.
He said the church should start adopting convicts when they were released.
Dr Malembeka further thanked President Edgar Lungu for releasing journalist Chanda Chimba and 29 others prisoners on compassionate grounds.
He said the move was healthy in a Christian nation and showed that the president was compassionate and had a heart for prisoners.
He however bemoaned the fact that those released would sill land in the same problem of re- integration and stigma.
He said there was need n for government to come up with effective re- integration of ex-prisoners by the extension of correctional services even to released inmates.