causes of overcrowding in south african prisons
FIRDAUS KHAN looks at five ways that South African prisons have failed in the ethical treatment of prisoners. Prison overcrowding stems from long sentences and many minor crimes resulting in prison terms. The only right that inmates should be deprived of is liberty. CAUSES OF PRISON OVERCROWDING Tapio Lappi-Seppälä Director, National Research Institute of Legal Policy, Finland I. supervisor: professor c.h. “When we say we have 118,000 beds, it doesn’t mean that the rest of the [43,000] inmates are sleeping on the floor,” Fraser told the committee. The Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services is the body tasked withoverseeingSouth Africa’s correctional services and inspecting and reporting on how inmates are treated. One important factor, at least in the United States, is a punitive public. “When facilities are overcrowded, the main priority becomes security. On Sunday 1 September an inmate stabbed an officer in the neck, and was killed while attempting to stab other officials, according to News24. Removing advertising from your browsing experience is one of them - we don't just block ads, we redesign our pages to look smarter and load faster. The study provides an overview of the history of gangs in South Africa and shows how community gangs spread to prisons. Prison life in South Africa is characterized by an elaborate system of gangs, through which much prisoner-on-prisoner violence is mediated. Statistics were given for the numbers, which showed that in June 2009, there was a total inmate population of 163 108, which was accommodated in 237 active correctional centres. Select which newsletters you'd like to receive, Suné Payne, Victoria O'Regan & Patrick Egwu, When we say we have 118,000 beds, it doesn’t mean that the rest of the [43,000] inmates are sleeping on the floor,” Fraser told the committee. The second one is considered to be the biggest super-max prison in the world, with 1,440 places. Overcrowding was attributed to a number of causes. Schwarzenegger has called for the construction of two more prisons. The number of sentenced prisoners increased by 27%, and the number of those held awaiting trial increased by 54%. Inmates and remand detainees experience extreme ov… Overcrowding has been a significant feature of imprisonment in South Africa from the very introduction of this form of punishment into the country. According to the DCS report for the 2017/18 financial year, correctional facilities were overpopulated by an average of 38% across SA. “We have made bunk beds and in-between beds, so to speak.”. While South Africa’s prison system is relatively well-resourced, overcrowding, violations of personal safety and lack of access to services persist. Castellón I1 and Male Prison of Barcelona2. Most people assume that prison populations rise in response to two factors, namely, rising crime rates and/or longer sentences imposed by the courts. Overcrowding is an obvious cause of and contributing factor in many of the health issues in prisons, most notably infectious diseases and mental health issues. Prison overcrowding is a serious problem. In a presentation to the Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, DCS Chief Deputy Commissioner Joseph Katenga revealed that despite a marginal decrease in the average number of inmates, there had consistently been far fewer beds than inmates over the past 19 years. Between 1996 and June 2001, the overall number of prisoners in South African prisons increased by 34%. Castellón I1 and Male Prison of Barcelona2. Of these, there are 43 646 remand detainees. The vast majority of sentenced and unsentenced inmates are male (97.5%). Given the above background, this study aimed to examine how correctional facilities can suppress gang activity. The prison population in South Africa was so disproportionately high that the maintenance of prison services was a major drain on national resources; Something needed to be done to address the culture of crime in prisons and the excessive recidivism which characterises our prison system. In South Africa, one of the continent’s wealthiest countries, prison overcrowding stood at 37% in March 2019 with 162,875 detainees for just 118,572 bed spaces. Overview of Prison There are 241 active correctional centres across South Africa. This was revealed in inspecting judge of correctional services Johann van der Westhuizen's 2018/2019 annual report. The paper thus takes the view that the problem of prison overcrowding pose challenges to both poor and rich countries, but the causes differs from one region to another. The Mandela Rules are a new and improved version of the original United Nations’ 1995 Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Prison overcrowding stems from long sentences and many minor crimes resulting in prison terms. This is the reality facing inmates in our correctional centres today," Van der Westhuizen said on Wednesday. However, Polokwane has the most overcrowding at more than 200%. Overcrowding is not limited to adult prisoners. ", Read more at the SA government's online coronavirus portal or use the 24-hour public hotline: 0800 029 999. In South Africa, prisons are severely overcrowded. Prisons, the law and overcrowding; New South African Review. Fraser, along with other representatives from DCS and committee members discussed the recent incident at St Albans prison in the Eastern Cape, where an inmate was fatally injured and a correctional officer wounded. Meeting Summary. … Denial of access to prevention and treatment services. SA's prison hell: crime, overcrowding, suicides and struggling staff News Although these factors are obviously important, the causes of overcrowding are multi-factored and multi-layered. Thirteen of the 20 suicides by hanging occurred in a single cell. understand the precise causes of overcrowding in the particular jurisdiction. Most people assume that prison populations rise in response to two factors, namely, rising crime rates and/or longer sentences imposed by the courts. Overcrowding, disease and torture. A change in mentality may also help reduce prison overcrowding. Please sign in or register to enable this feature. that the extent of overcrowding in South Africa's prisons places the incarceration of the vast majority of this country's inmates in violation of constitutional standards, no matter how low these standards are set. The most suicides occurred in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. SAPOHR wants to make use of this opportunity to approach your programme with the aim to open the discussion of the chronically overcrowded and over populated prisons in South Africa. 1.2 The Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) in its 2009/10 Annual Report, states that, although the level of incarceration has dropped to 139%, considerably lower than the 170% recorded at the end of the 2002/03 financial year, South Africa’s incarceration rate remains the highest in Africa and one of the highest in the world. In the Eastern Cape correctional facilities were, on average, overpopulated by almost 58%. It … Usually, the court is beset with its own challenges of delays and lengthy postponements. Schwarzenegger has called for the construction of two more prisons. The thesis further looks and finds in the course of research that, prison overcrowding is a global phenomenon not just peculiar to Nigeria, South Africa and in America. Hank Green was approached to … Daily Maverick previously reported on the rise in prisoner suicides, which jumped from 52 in 2016/17 to 82 in 2017/18. “Overcrowding is one of the department’s biggest problems,” said Katenga. What are the health risks related to overcrowding? Overcrowding is an obvious cause of and contributing factor in many of the health issues in prisons, most notably infectious diseases and mental health issues. on the rise in prisoner suicides, which jumped from 52 in 2016/17 to 82 in 2017/18. These are our prisons, where crime is rife and where close to 500 inmates have died, 82 of unnatural causes. The Western Cape was found to have the most overcrowded facilities, with Pollsmoor Medium B being 200% overcrowded. The report found that the centre with the highest overcrowding percentage was Johannesburg Medium B at 111% - where 2,750 sentenced inmates were housed in a facility designed for 1,300. Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town holds 4 162 prisoners (238% occupation), with 60 - 80 awaiting trial.7 Our prisons have been described as ‘melting pots’ for tuberculosis (TB) infection, with TB the most common cause of death among prisoners. In response to a crisis of massive prison overcrowding, Gov. Extent of overcrowding at SA prisons revealed. Since 1980, the State of California has built more than 20 prisons, and its prison population has increased about fivefold. This is followed by a meticulous Overcrowded SA prisons hotbeds of suicide, rape and homicide, says judge. Van der Westhuizen’s report found that 28 cases of suicide were reported across South African prisons. “DCS has no legal powers to refuse detention of inmates on the basis of inadequate bed space and other factors resulting in overcrowding of inmates,” Katenga told the committee. This fact sheet was compiled by Africa Check with research done by Gopolang Makou, Ina Skosana and Ruth Hopkins from Wits Journalism and the Department of Media Studies in the School of Language, Literature and Media at Wits: “So-called ‘problematic’ inmates are sometimes kept separate or segregated from the rest of the inmates for long periods of time,” said Rapoo. In KwaZulu-Natal, five of the 18 inspected facilities were found to be under capacity. High-flying Durban taxi boss bust making withdrawals with 70 stolen Sassa cards, ‘Less than candid’ ex-president ordered to pay R95k maintenance. The latest data shows that 22 national prison systems hold more than double their capacity, with a … According to statistics from the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), South Africa’s correctional facilities have been overcrowded since 2000. A particular right which has subtly avoided being addressed is that, as noted above, of ‘adequate accommodation”. This is the current state inside South African prisons. re: causes of the chronic overcrowding in south african prisons. Causes of Prison Overcrowding. cilliers. In the Eastern Cape correctional facilities were, on average, overpopulated by almost 58%. In its assessment of the health and wellness of women in prison, the Commission for Gender Equality recommended that, “The DCS should develop a new strategy for accommodating inmates with mental health problems that does not involve imprisonment of mental patients in currently overcrowded DCS correctional centres.”, The committee did not have enough time to debate the assessment, and chairperson Gratitude Magwanishe recommended that top DCS officials meet with the Commission for Gender Equality, and present a joint report in three months’ time. Representatives from the personal corrections department of the DCS told the committee that of the 243 correctional facilities across South Africa, 157 are technically underpopulated while 77 are more than 150% full. Overcrowding is one of the department’s biggest problems,” said Katenga. This was showing a decline since 2004. affairs necessitates further study into the management of prison gangs. Statistics were given for the numbers, which showed that in June 2009, there was a total inmate population of 163 108, which was accommodated in 237 active correctional centres. Prison overcrowding is frequently cited as the reason for many maladies in our prison system, but the situation is a bit more textured than a blanket statement proclaiming that South African prisons are overcrowded. Sonke Gender Justice prisons co-ordinator Zia Wasserman said overcrowding created an environment for diseases such as TB, HIV and leptospirosis. There are many great benefits to being a Maverick Insider. Overcrowding in prisons and its impact on health Overcrowding in prisons and its impact on health García-Guerrero J1, Marco A2. INTRODUCTION Imprisonment rates An unprecedented expansion of penal control has occurred in recent decades in diff erent parts of the world. On the other hand, the underlying cause of this surplus of inmates is less apparent. Although South Africa's racial policies were a cause for concern, most countries in the UN concurred that this was a domestic affair, which fell outside the UN's jurisdiction. Sexual abuse is a common phenomenon and it is linked to overcrowding rates and understaffing. Crowding can be measured objectively in several ways: in terms of floor space per prisoner, prisoners per living unit, and institutional population relative to stated capacity. Four innocent men spent a combined 52 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. So-called ‘problematic’ inmates are sometimes kept separate or segregated from the rest of the inmates for long periods of time,” said Rapoo. The second one is considered to be the biggest super-max prison in the world, with 1,440 places. Therefore we can’t do anything else properly.”. Although the department has made temporary plans for overcrowded facilities, Katenga revealed that, since 2000, there had only been a 15% increase in the number of formal bed spaces for prisoners. As this article indicates, however, overcrowding in South African prisons is not only a recent phenomenon. Causes of Prison Overcrowding. The current conditions in South African prisons fail to meet the minimum standards established in national and international legislation and declarations. Approximately 550 natural deaths are recorded in South African prisons each year (Independent Online 2019), which equates to a death rate of 333 per 100,000. “We have made bunk beds and in-between beds, so to speak.”. The overriding cause of prison overcrowding is fairly obvious: The number of inmates exceeds the spatial and social capacity of correctional institutions and prison systems to house these inmates. Since the mid 1970s imprisonment rates in North America have increased nearly fi vefold. Further, South African prison conditions represent serious breaches of rights enshrined in the South African Constitution. In response to a crisis of massive prison overcrowding, Gov. The committee did not have enough time to debate the assessment, and chairperson Gratitude Magwanishe recommended that top DCS officials meet with the Commission for Gender Equality, and present a joint report in three months’ time. 6. For the 2018/19 period, 720 complaints were received from inmates. JICS inspecting judge Johann van der Westhuizen said that to deal with overcrowding kitchens work overtime to prepare enough food, and that plumbing and hot water systems constantly break down due to overuse. “When facilities are overcrowded, the main priority becomes security. The current view is to punish offenders. For communities, inadequate shelter and overcrowding are major factors in the transmission of diseases with epidemic potential such as acute respiratory infections, meningitis, typhus, cholera, scabies, etc. 91 accommodate women in a section of the prison.1 The total capacity of prisons is 118 154 people, with 25 000 places being reserved for people awaiting trial detainees (ATD). Sentence reduction allows for inmates to leave sooner and make room for incoming ones. He said in the report that to deal with overcrowding, kitchens work overtime to prepare enough food for inmates, and that plumbing and hot water systems constantly break down due to overuse. It should be done in a that the government should banns the drugs in the country and charge fine whoever is using it. november 2006. Many people in the United … © 2021 Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. The major findings on which most researchers agree are (1) that prisoners housed in large, open bay dormitories are more likely to visit clinics and to have high blood pressure than are prisoners in other housing arrangements (single-bunked cells, double-bunked cells, small dormitories, large partitioned dormitories); (2) that prisons that contain dormitories have somewhat higher assault rates than do other prisons; and (3) that prisons … Prison crowding is often identified as the cause of inmate ill health and misconduct and of postrelease recidivism.