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Mwanza Prison

Location	Mwanza, Malawi
Coordinates	15°35′55″S 34°31′04″E / 15.59861°S 34.51778°E / -15.59861; 34.51778
Status	Operational
Security class	Maximum (male and female)
Capacity	1,500
Opened	1990
Managed by	Malawi Prison Service

Mwanza Prison is the prison located in Mwanza, Malawi, a town in the Southern Region of Malawi on the border with Mozambique.^[1] The prison is controlled and maintained by the Malawi Prison Service that in turn controls 23 district prison stations, including the Mwanza Prison, which are either first-class or second-class prisons.^[2] The aim of the Malawi Prison Service is to provide humane and effective correctional services to prisoners.^[3]

Mwanza Prison is part of the Malawi Prison Service, which was established by the Prisons Act of 1956.^[4] This act was enacted by the British colonial government, which had previously administered prisons in Malawi through the colonial police force.^[4]

The objectives of the Malawi Prison Service include managing prisons, rehabilitating prisoners and enforcing prison sentences.

The Malawi Prison Service faces challenges including overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate funding. The service has also faced criticism for human rights abuses and poor conditions in prisons.