The Failure of South Africa’s Prisons

 Prisons that don’t rehabilitate simply mean more criminals on our streets every year. As you know, crime continues to grow.

These shocking statistics, derived from a report in the Mail & Guardian, emphasis South Africa’s decline:

1. The Correctional Services department owes R1.3-billion in damages to prisoners and ex-prisoners for injury and rape whilst imprisoned.
2. R71-million in wasteful expenditure
3. R215-million in irregular expenditure.
4. Department’s annual report says there are 243 correctional prisons but a report by the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services says 236?
5. 17% of assaults in prison are committed by staff yet disciplinary action was only taken against 1 warden. “Some prisoners are placed in single cells for days without food or basic amenities and transferred subsequently to avoid these cases coming under the scrutiny of the SAPS.”
6. 32% of prisons do not have a doctor or nurse on the premises. 17 prisons haven’t seen a doctor in over 3 months.
7. 851 prisoners died last year; 47 murdered; many of the 260 inmates who died from tuberculosis, Aids and pneumonia contracted the diseases in prison.
8. 33% of unsentenced inmates are held for 6 months or more. These include the innocent who face danger whilst waiting for release.
9. “In excess of 18 000 people per month were unnecessarily arrested by the police and consequently ended up in prison awaiting trial”.

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