Crowded Pollsmoor conditions 'shocking'

schumi

schumi

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Cape Town - Authorities at Pollsmoor Prison are battling chronic overcrowding.

Over 8 900 inmates are squashed into a facility built to accommodate 3 900.

Last week, a delegation from the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services, along with members of the NCOP’s select committee on security and justice, visited the prison to get an update.
Former Correctional Services Inspecting Judge Edwin Cameron had earlier written a damning report on conditions.Accompanying the MPs was Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha, and his deputy Thabang Makwetla, along with Department of Correctional Services commissioner Zach Modise, and provincial commissioner Delekile Klaas.

The delegation were first taken to Pollsmoor’s remand detention facility where awaiting trial prisoners are kept.
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More at: http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/crowded-pollsmoor-conditions-shocking-2085605
 
Just bring back the death penalty then we can get rid of the murderers.
This should free some space in the prisons....
 
The only thing that's bad about this, is the fact that there are so many criminals in our country in the first place. I for one don't care how bad their situation is in there. Let them suffer.
 
We really need to build more prisons more especially in Big Cities, the current ones are not coping wit the volume and this in-turn creates criminality and difficulty in running these prisons.
 
Crowded Pollsmoor conditions 'shocking' - Not as shocking if they were to use the electric chair.
 
The real bad news is that our SAP only solve a ridiculous low number of the crimes.
Do the sums - we've got a million murderers walking free in society.
If we get 90% of the crimes solved and convicted the jails will be 400% overcrowded.
I think its a guvament masterplan to keep it low.
 
Could care less. But for a government that claims to uphold human rights just another example of their lies.
 
WaxLyrical said:
On the plus side shocking conditions will accelerate rehabilitation.
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completely the opposite

crowded conditions offer virtually no prospect for rehabilitation - widely acknowledged by the courts
a prison functioning as little more than a detention centre in those conditions, remains a centre for criminal learning & networking.
 
Ho3n3r said:
The only thing that's bad about this, is the fact that there are so many criminals in our country in the first place. I for one don't care how bad their situation is in there. Let them suffer.
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I can understand this as an initial reaction. South Africans are so sick of crime that we have little sympathy left.

At the same time, it has to be kept in mind that the function of a prison is also to rehabilitate criminals. Subhuman living conditions does little to support this goal. If we're going to move past our emotions about criminals and think about this rationally, it becomes obvious that the current conditions inside prisons are detrimental not only to those inside, but society in general.
 
Viva said:
I can understand this as an initial reaction. South Africans are so sick of crime that we have little sympathy left.

At the same time, it has to be kept in mind that the function of a prison is also to rehabilitate criminals. Subhuman living conditions does little to support this goal. If we're going to move past our emotions about criminals and think about this rationally, it becomes obvious that the current conditions inside prisons are detrimental not only to those inside, but society in general.
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Yeah but if we're going to think like that, then we would have to think about the shocking conditions people live in outside of prisons.
 
Who the hell cares about the criminals - ZUMA IS GOING DOWN!
 
I know folks think ''lekker'' and ''they deserve it'', but the issue with this is you have a guy that was pulled in for shoplifting being housed with hard criminals, most of whom are gang affiliates. Incidences of rape are extremely high in Pollsmoor, its basically a ''welcome package''. I watched a doccie where a guy was raped 7 times within the first 24-hours of his arrival, wasn't treated and contracted HIV. The only way one survives is to join one of the Numbers or become a Frans (a sex slave come servant) and joining the Numbers comes with carrying out an ''initiation task'', i.e. knifing someone, preferably a guard. The result of these conditions is that the person that comes out of prison is worse than the one that went in.

''Soft'' criminals need to kept separate and rehabilitated. Taught a skill, used on public works projects, etc. Hardened criminals need to be exterminated. If I had my way I would exterminate any person in a prison that has gang affiliations and start afresh, but that would see all the human rights folks throwing a fit.
 
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