'In Gauteng alone, more than 1000 remand detainees have been held in prison for more than two years'
THE majority of prison inmates, including awaiting-trial prisoners, are behind bars mainly because they cannot afford to pay bail money as little as R200, leading to overcrowded prisons.
Chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on correctional services Vincent Smith said a prosecutor and defence were obliged to go back to the magistrate and address the issue of people who could not afford to pay bail set at less than R1000 - something that is currently not happening.
This and other factors result in overcrowding at South Africa's correctional facilities.
"It costs R3000 a month to hold someone in our facilities. It just does not make economic sense," Smith told delegates at the Wits Justice Project conference on remand detention held at Wits University in Johannesburg yesterday.
He said there were more than 200 people who are awaiting-trial prisoners for more than two years at some prisons.
"In KwaZulu-Natal, there is a man who has been in custody for more than seven years," Smith said.
He said police were increasingly arresting people without having investigated their cases thoroughly.
"If you go to Florida police station (on the West Rand) at the weekend, you will find many people who have been arrested. When they appear in court on a Monday, they are simply released. This is happening all over the country," he said.
He said police in Eastern Cape were reluctant to agree to bail because it was "increasing their work load. Police say when a suspect is released, people in the area resort to mob justice. They (police) then have to go back to the same area again and that was increasing their work load".
"There are community education programmes in place to address the issue. In some areas, a chief has to be consulted. If he says the suspect should not be granted bail, then they are not granted bail," he said.
Inspector-general of prisons, Deon van Zyl, said the department's biggest problem has always been overcrowding. He said there were 517 deaths in prisons from January 1 to date.
"Its not certain whether it was natural or unnatural causes. In many cases, their (prisoners') deaths could have been prevented.
"In Gauteng alone, more than 1000 remand detainees have been held in prison for more than two years, sometimes in conditions that are 'shockingly inhumane'."
He said there were 200 children, 19669 youths and 23618 adults in prisons across the country.
'Prisons over-crowded because suspects can't pay bail'
'In Gauteng alone, more than 1000 remand detainees have been held in prison for more than two years'
THE majority of prison inmates, including awaiting-trial prisoners, are behind bars mainly because they cannot afford to pay bail money as little as R200, leading to overcrowded prisons.
Chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on correctional services Vincent Smith said a prosecutor and defence were obliged to go back to the magistrate and address the issue of people who could not afford to pay bail set at less than R1000 - something that is currently not happening.
This and other factors result in overcrowding at South Africa's correctional facilities.
"It costs R3000 a month to hold someone in our facilities. It just does not make economic sense," Smith told delegates at the Wits Justice Project conference on remand detention held at Wits University in Johannesburg yesterday.
He said there were more than 200 people who are awaiting-trial prisoners for more than two years at some prisons.
"In KwaZulu-Natal, there is a man who has been in custody for more than seven years," Smith said.
He said police were increasingly arresting people without having investigated their cases thoroughly.
"If you go to Florida police station (on the West Rand) at the weekend, you will find many people who have been arrested. When they appear in court on a Monday, they are simply released. This is happening all over the country," he said.
He said police in Eastern Cape were reluctant to agree to bail because it was "increasing their work load. Police say when a suspect is released, people in the area resort to mob justice. They (police) then have to go back to the same area again and that was increasing their work load".
"There are community education programmes in place to address the issue. In some areas, a chief has to be consulted. If he says the suspect should not be granted bail, then they are not granted bail," he said.
Inspector-general of prisons, Deon van Zyl, said the department's biggest problem has always been overcrowding. He said there were 517 deaths in prisons from January 1 to date.
"Its not certain whether it was natural or unnatural causes. In many cases, their (prisoners') deaths could have been prevented.
"In Gauteng alone, more than 1000 remand detainees have been held in prison for more than two years, sometimes in conditions that are 'shockingly inhumane'."
He said there were 200 children, 19669 youths and 23618 adults in prisons across the country.
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