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Prisoners and prison workers have been victims of Covid-19.
Gallo Images / Sowetan / Thulani Mbele
- Covid-19, so far, has claimed the lives of 60 prison officials and 43 inmates.
- In addition, more than 4,000 civil servants and more than 2,000 prisoners have been infected.
- In May, the president authorized the parole of low-risk prisoners to ease overcrowding and slow the spread of Covid-19 in prisons.
The number of Covid-19 cases skyrocketed in South African prisons, as more than 4,000 officials and more than 2,000 inmates tested positive for the virus.
As of August 23, a total of 4,136 staff members and 2,336 inmates had been infected with Covid-19.
The virus also claimed the lives of 60 officials and 43 prisoners.
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The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, revealed these figures in response to a parliamentary question written by EFF deputy Patrick Sindane.
Sindane wanted details on the number of prison officials and inmates who have been infected.
He also requested details on the government’s strategy to curb the spread of Covid-19 in correctional service centers.
Lamola said the process to release the violators was ongoing.
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In a proclamation released on May 8, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorized the parole of low-risk prisoners to ease overcrowding and slow the spread of Covid-19 in prisons.
Conditional freedom
At that time, it was reported that 19,000 inmates would be eligible for this parole.
Initial releases began on May 20, and as of June 24, only 4,138 offenders were released.
In June, around 7,000 of the 19,000 planned prisoners were released with the special parole dispensation.
“As of August 20, 2020, a total of 10,153 offenders had been released with special parole dispensation. The inmate population on May 20, 2020 (releases started on this date) was 155,069, which translated at an occupancy level of 130.78% and a crowding level of 30.78%.
“The inmate population, as of August 20, 2020, was 138,070, which translates into an occupancy level of 114.52% and an overcrowding level of 14.52%,” Lamola said.
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He also said that efforts to reduce prison overcrowding have yielded some results.
“Since the beginning of the implementation of the 2020 Covid-19 special parole waiver, the department reduced overcrowding in prisons with a total of 16.26% (from 155,069 to 138,070).
“The above are examples of how the Department of Correctional Services is successfully dealing with overcrowding in correctional facilities to slow the spread of Covid-19.
“The Department also recommends that the courts consider an alternative sentence, as this will also help with the management of Covid-19 in correctional services,” he said.
As of June 24, the prison population was 147,922, made up of 95,159 convicts and 52,763 in pretrial detention and other non-sentenced inmates, which raised the level of overcrowding to 24.75%.
News24 reported in July that, in the past five years, the government added 2,650 additional beds in correctional services facilities across the country, but the latest figures show that nearly 30,000 inmates are still bedless.
