Prisons in South Africa UN releases a damning report

Many inmates spend years behind bars waiting for their trial to reach the courts, and the declining justice system does little to protect the criminals who are subjected to more crime inside the prison walls than outside. The justice system fails the entire correctional department services and corruption rules inside the South African prisons as the shocking abuse continues without any assurance of prohibiting the ill-treatment of prisoners.

There is no end to the shocking abuse that continues to flourish inside the South African prisons. The disgraceful and uncontrolled criminal elements lurking inside the prison walls often go unnoticed by citizens of the country. Injustice and appalling conditions tarnish the reputation of the South African Correctional services department. Deterioration and active illegal crimes within prisons pose a danger to prisoners who are often victims of gangs operating in prisons.

Now the United Nations have issued a damning report . I wonder if there will be any change.

SOURCE:

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/un-rights-body-releases-damning-report-on-sa-prisons-20160411

UN rights body releases damning report on SA prisons

 Durban - The United Nations Human Rights Council's report on South Africa has painted a grim picture of the country's prisons.

The committee on South Africa reported a slew of factors contributing to poor conditions at state detention centres.
"The committee is concerned at poor conditions of detention in some of the state's prisons, particularly with respect to overcrowding, dilapidated infrastructures, unsanitary conditions, inadequate food, lack of exercise, poor ventilation, and limited access to health services," it read.
"The committee notes with concern the conditions of detention in the two super-maximum security prisons and the segregation measures imposed, for instance in Ebongweni super-maximum prison, where prisoners are locked up 23 hours a day for a minimum period of six months."
The committee recommended that the state take drastic steps to reduce overcrowding and ensure that detainees were treated with dignity.
"Ensure that de facto solitary confinement measures, including segregation, are used only in the most exceptional circumstances and for strictly limited periods of a short duration," it said.
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) said overcrowding and understaffing in prisons remained an issue.
"This is a challenge on ablution facilities, the rising levels of violence among inmates and in ensuring the very objective of rehabilitating inmates, with a view of reintegrating them back into society," Popcru said.
"Various studies indicate that approximately 85% to 94% of prisoners in South Africa re-offend after their release, which means the current system of rehabilitation needs to urgently be redefined.
"Due to very little technical and life skills of the inmates, survival outside of the prison environment becomes very difficult and many tend to re-offend because in their view life is easier in prison."