SA prisons in state of chaos and overcrowding critical

Almost 200 of the country's jails are overpopulated, with some facilities in the Western Cape bursting at the seams as they are filled to more than double their capacity, according to Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour.

By the end of March, Pollsmoor Prison's maximum section - with a capacity of 1 872, had 4 531 inmates while the Caledon correctional centre had more than double (454) of the 215 prisoners it could accommodate.

Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour said in a written reply to a parliamentary question that occupation of 173 prisons exceeded their capacity and were on average 144.76% of capacity on March 31.

Total bed capacity was 114 559, but there were 113 178 sentenced and 52 662 awaiting trial prisoners - a total of 165 840 inmates.

One of the worst, Umtata Medium, with capacity for 580, was accommodating 902 sentenced and 1 229 awaiting trial prisoners - a total of 2 131 (367.41% of capacity).

Johannesburg Medium A, with 2 630 beds, had 6 529 awaiting trial and 152 sentenced prisoners - 6 681 (254.03%).

Durban Medium B, built for 1 853 inmates, had no awaiting trial prisoners, but still accommodated 4 679 sentenced prisoners (252.51%).

Cape Town's Pollsmoor Maximum, designed to hold 1 872 inmates, had 3 813 awaiting trial and 718 sentenced prisoners - 4 531 (242.04%).

Other overcrowded Western Cape jails include:

• Worcester correctional centre is 158 percent overpopulated.
  
• Pollsmoor female section is 182 percent overpopulated.
  
• Oudtshoorn medium A is 194 percent overpopulated.
  
• Knysna's prison is 182 percent overpopulated.

Balfour said the average time an awaiting trial prisoners spent inside was 170 days at a cost R168.68 per awaiting trial prisoner per day.

SA Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights president Golden Miles Bhudu said: "Prisoners' rights are embedded in the Constitution, but it is just on a piece of paper. The department never had any desire or intent to come up with a plan of action to regulate, control and manage the prison population."