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| South Africa to Build New Prisons to Reduce Overcrowding |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 08/27/2002 |
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South Africa is to build several new low security prisons to reduce drastic overcrowding at existing correctional facilities, the government announced August 20. The country's 241 prisons were built to accommodate 110,000 inmates but currently hold 178,908, of which 51,873 were awaiting trial, Correctional Services Minister Ben Skosana told reporters. The new prisons, to be built within the next three years, would be able to accommodate up to 30,000 medium and low risk prisoners. The prison buildings will be cheaply constructed and have less security than existing facilities. The authorities hope to stop prisoners escaping by ensuring perimeter fences are secure. A breakdown in law and order under apartheid and widespread unemployment have been blamed for rampant crime in South Africa. The country's overburdened courts struggle to process a flood of cases, which can take up to two years to come to trial. A commission headed by Judge Thabani Jali to probe allegations of corruption and mismanagement at nine prisons has in recent weeks heard allegations of warders sodomizing juvenile inmates, selling drugs to prisoners and accepting bribes. Jali told lawmakers recently the situation was much worse than previously thought, and disciplinary procedures taken against errant staff were hopeless inadequate. |
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