The prisons in South Africa are crowded because the country is violent.
The acting national commissioner of correctional services, James Smalberger, made this statement to parliamentarians.
According to Smalberger, there are 36% more prisoners than beds, and the country’s 243 prisons are overcrowded, while still under construction.
The country’s prisons can accommodate more than 119 000 prisoners, but there are currently 161 000 people in prisons of which 42 000 are waiting for trial.
Then there are some 70 000 prisoners released on parole, and if they break their parole conditions, they will also have to return to prison.
In 1994, 435 prisoners served life imprisonment. Currently, there are 14 000 who have to sit for life.
The Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Michael Masutha, admits that most prisoners are in prison for serious offenses, and should not be quickly released. He acknowledges that South Africa is a violent society.
Observers, however, point out that it is the government who allows society to be violent. If a president sings “Bring me my machine gun,” and marches are allowed while it is almost certain that it will be violent, they have none other than themselves to blame.
Read the original article in Afrikaans on Die Vryburger
South Africa Today – South Africa News
