Packed prisons 'a fact of life'
2003-06-03 10:49
Johannesburg - Over-population in prisons continues to be a major challenge and it is clear that an unacceptably high occupancy rate will be a problem in the foreseeable future, says the correctional services department.
Deputy commissioner Jenny Scheiner said the latest figures indicated the prison population countrywide stood at 187 748 as of March, of which 58 144 had not been sentenced.
"Our capacity remains at 110 874 and this means we are over-populated by 78 874 or 71%," she said at a justice, crime prevention and security cluster meeting in Johannesburg.
Scheiner said various strategies employed to curb prison over-population in the past had not been lasting.
"It has a negative effect on our effort as it has an impact on staff moral, the health of offenders, effective safe custody and the ability of the department to allocate resources for the rehabilitation of prisoners," she said.
- SAPA