The worrying trend of violence in South African correctional centres has sparked serious concern among lawmakers, particularly following an incident at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre in Tokai, Cape {town} Etc reports.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng, has expressed deep worries regarding the increase of attacks on officials within these facilities, highlighting the dangerous implications of overcrowded conditions for both staff and inmates.
Ramolobeng’s concerns come after a tragic confrontation on Wednesday morning, where a brutal altercation resulted in the deaths of two inmates and left two correctional officers seriously injured, with one currently in intensive care.
This violent event is emblematic of a growing trend in correctional facilities, which Ramolobeng attributes to an increasingly high ratio of inmates to officials, allowing inmates to exploit this imbalance.
During a committee oversight visit to St Albans Correctional Centre, Ramolobeng recounted a disturbing incident where an official was attacked by inmates who were angry about not being granted permission to speak with the committee.
‘We cannot be perpetuating violence in our facilities, which are meant to serve as places of rehabilitation,’ she asserted.
‘Instead, they are becoming breeding grounds for violence, with offenders using the low number of officials to plan their attacks. This is utterly unacceptable.’
In light of these escalating incidents, Ramolobeng has called for urgent reforms, advocating for increased security measures across all correctional centres.
She emphasised the necessity of filling all vacant, funded posts to bolster the number of officials monitoring the ever-growing inmate population. ‘The department operates at the tail end of the criminal justice system and cannot control its population size without proper staffing and strategy,’ she explained.
Moreover, she urged all sectors of the criminal justice system to collaborate on developing effective strategies to alleviate the severe overcrowding plaguing these facilities.
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Picture: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach
