THE scourge of crime that is claiming the lives of our innocent people on a daily basis is not exposed to the level that it should.

THE scourge of crime that is claiming the lives of our innocent people on a daily basis is not exposed to the level that it should.

Crime is a reality in our country and the poorest of our people are filling up correctional centres because they are vulnerable to the rich.

I realised in prison that the composition of the prison population did not reflect reality . Most of the prisoners were ordinary people who fell into a trap because they lacked knowledge of the consequences of crime . They knew too little about what negative impact this would bring to their lives.

We are failing our country by doing so little to address crime . I honestly think that if assistance could be given to ex-convicts to quickly get involved in the economic mainstream and in responsible living , they would not fall into recidivism in as large a number as at present.

A criminal goes to prison and when he is released, he faces the same, if not worse circumstances than he did before he went to prison. Therefore, he will continue committing crime because if he does not, he will perish.

There are more criminals in high places and outside prison than inside. We are facing a crisis by the majority and yet the minority and the poor are imprisoned. For this reason, in prison, I conceptualised a programme to talk to inmates to repent and to understand that crime does not pay. It is our programme's aim to send a thief to catch a thief.

We want to mobilise ex-convicts to become the educators of our programme throughout the land. We want those who are doing crime to escape the "human zoo", as I call the prison.

Crime can be reduced drastically if the nation, in particular the corporate sector, acts together without prejudice to ex-convicts. Do not do crime.

Koos Molefe, Kempton Park