South Africa's prisons recorded the highest number of inmates in Africa according to the International Centre for Prison Studies.
* 157 394 prisoners were recorded in April 2014, of which 2.3% were female.
* 27.8% of prison population are pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners
* 0.3% of prison population are juveniles / minors / young prisoners incl. definition
* 5.3% of prison population are foreigners.
* The official capacity of the prison system is 119 890 which currently puts a strain on prison conditions as the occupancy level is over 127.7%.
Prison trends over the years in South Africa:
.
Prison conditions:
According to a 'Human Rights Annual 2011-2012 Report', the majority of the country’s operational prisons did not meet international standards, and prison conditions did not always meet the country’s minimum legal requirements.
On October 24 2012, Vincent Smith, the chairman of parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, said inmates in the country’s prisons “were still subjected to serious overcrowding, a lack of medical care, and torture.”
The Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Services (JICS) received 1,945 complaints of assaults on prisoners by correctional officers for the reporting period from April 2011 through March 2012.
During the year there were reports of shortages of prison doctors, inadequate investigation and documentation of prisoner deaths, inadequate monitoring of the prison population, high suicide rates among prisoners, and a lack of independence in the JICS.
Some detainees awaiting trial reportedly contracted HIV/AIDS through rape.
South Africa compared to the rest of the world:
South Africa records the most prisoners in Africa
South Africa's prisons recorded the highest number of inmates in Africa according to the International Centre for Prison Studies.
* 157 394 prisoners were recorded in April 2014, of which 2.3% were female.
* 27.8% of prison population are pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners
* 0.3% of prison population are juveniles / minors / young prisoners incl. definition
* 5.3% of prison population are foreigners.
* The official capacity of the prison system is 119 890 which currently puts a strain on prison conditions as the occupancy level is over 127.7%.
Prison trends over the years in South Africa:
Prison conditions:
According to a 'Human Rights Annual 2011-2012 Report', the majority of the country’s operational prisons did not meet international standards, and prison conditions did not always meet the country’s minimum legal requirements.
On October 24 2012, Vincent Smith, the chairman of parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, said inmates in the country’s prisons “were still subjected to serious overcrowding, a lack of medical care, and torture.”
The Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Services (JICS) received 1,945 complaints of assaults on prisoners by correctional officers for the reporting period from April 2011 through March 2012.
During the year there were reports of shortages of prison doctors, inadequate investigation and documentation of prisoner deaths, inadequate monitoring of the prison population, high suicide rates among prisoners, and a lack of independence in the JICS.
Some detainees awaiting trial reportedly contracted HIV/AIDS through rape.
South Africa compared to the rest of the world:
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