The progressive inmate incentive system in Zambia prisons gives prisoners the chance to become leaders among their peers. Prisoners that have been of good behavior are promoted to three different leadership ranks. The first two ranks are awarded colored bands for identification (Red bands and blue bands) while the third rank which is the highest is known as the Special stage.

Prisoners in the Special stage are honored inmates with incentives that include inmate supervision, additional twenty minutes for visitation and withdrawal of any form of supervision even when they are outside the prison walls. Red band and blue band prisoners are peer supervisors that can move around within certain sections of the prisons unsupervised. But unlike Red band prisoners, Blue band prisoners receive additional ten minutes for visitation.

In order to check abuse of this process by prison officers, the promotion of an inmate to any of these ranks involves a process that is not dependent on just not one individual, but on different individuals. The inmate promotion sheet has to be approved by different custodial officers responsible for him or her. This includes prison officer in charge of workshop to which the prisoner belongs, the duty officer in charge of his or her sleeping block, his or her school master and finally, the Officer-In- Charge. The same process applies for the Blue band and Red band prisoners but for the Special stage inmates, the final signature required is that of the Commissioner of Prisons.

When an inmate’s promotion has been approved, he or she is invited to the office of the officer-In-charge. There, the inmate is enlightened on the expectations and benefits of the particular rank he or she has been promoted to. After that, the Officer-In-Charge congratulates the inmate and awards the Band representing the rank in question to him or her. Through this process, the Zambia Prisons Service encourages good behavior within the prisons without instilling fear or using force on the inmates.