Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
Divorce, Maintenance, Personal Injury, Medical Negligence
A recent City Press article revealed that everything is for sale in our prisons. In this case they focused specifically on Leeuhof Prison in the Vaal Triangle. Apparently, a cell which is built for 20 prisoners holds 52 people and prisoners provided them with proof, in cell phone pictures, of horrific conditions showing that everything is for sale.
The toilets are filthy, disease is rife and young boys are brought from the juvenile section so that male prisoners can have sex with them, up to 8 prisoners at a time, for which the juvenile is then given R50,00. All of this has been facilitated and arranged by the prison wardens who march the person who is about to be raped, from the juvenile prison to the area where the awaiting trial prisoners are. On a daily basis Mandrax pills, Swazi dagga and heroin arrive and all the prisoners take drugs and do what they want. It is little wonder that whenever we want to extradite people from other countries to come and stand trial in South Africa, that reference is always made to the appalling conditions of our prisons. We are never going to rehabilitate anybody if life in prison is all about taking drugs and gang-raping young boys. Let’s see what the Correctional Services Minister, Michael Masutha does about this.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Tuesday 08-Jul-14
Post a Comment
Comments
Cindy said:
on Monday 14-Jul-14 08:15 AM
This is shocking! Cant believe this. This is actually scary!! I really have no words.
joyce said:
on Friday 11-Jul-14 04:37 PM
I think these prisoners they do not feel punishment and they are continuing committing more serious crime, It's so sad about young boys
Nicky said:
on Friday 11-Jul-14 03:47 PM
Most criminals are all about "hustling" so no matter where they find themselves they'll hustle, and add a few corrupt prison officials and the hustling continues all the way in prison.
It also just sounds like prison is a real uphill battle for the convicts that do want to make a clean and honest start and even more so for those that have been wrongfully accused-that's sad and scary.
Lucretia said:
on Friday 11-Jul-14 12:28 PM
In light of your blog, how is anyone supposed to be rehabilitated? If you go in, you are bound to come out worse off and I believe that is why the statistics show that 60% of prisoners commit the same crime within 6 months after being released. I doubt it is to go back, perhaps it is because they develop a complete disrespect for life as a whole. So sad.
Sinead said:
on Thursday 10-Jul-14 03:51 PM
Wow... I actually have no words... This is so sad!
Sarah said:
on Thursday 10-Jul-14 09:20 AM
So crime will never stop. The punishment is to go to prison , well I agree with Jessica comment they should start hanging people now.
Jessica said:
on Wednesday 09-Jul-14 02:07 PM
This is an utter disgrace, South Africa in general is an utter disgrace, there is absolutely nothing to be proud about from this country anymore. I hope these Wardens get the same punishment that was done in the movie Sleepers. Pathetic I say hang all of them get it over with and stop wasting space, air and money on these criminals. Including the Wardens give them to the prisoners that gave those poor boy's in for that.
Ashleigh said:
on Wednesday 09-Jul-14 01:27 PM
Very upsetting and disturbing to know that young boys who are possibly serving time for minor offences are being gang raped, humiliated and traumatised for the rest of their lives because Wardens are just as corrupt as the prisoners in the cells. I am not surprised by the Drugs story either as drugs are easily accessible everywhere.
salomie said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 03:42 PM
this is horrible that crime is committed in prison and nothing is done to prevent it. how did we get to being able to commit crime on the inside and outside with no consequences?
Lizanne said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 12:54 PM
Pour Oscar Pistorius!!! Just imagine what will happen to him when he goes to jail.
Kaylee said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 12:53 PM
Poor Oscar
Brumilde said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 12:29 PM
Conditions are terrible for only some then... Free food and a bed to sleep in. You get to have drugs and sex with boys. Terrible! and disgusting !
Jolene said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 12:25 PM
This is really shocking news, I cant believe that our crime rate is so high with such horrible conditions in jail? If that doesnt scare or stop them nothing will. My worst fear ever is to be wrongfully convicted, imagine you have to sit there for something you didnt do.
I think they need to start with the guards, because if the guards do their work half of the problems will be solved!
Catherine said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 12:19 PM
This is just sickening and revolting. Once a person is raped by a gang of men, how does one ever expect such a person to be rehabilitated? This is the reason rape/violent rape is so rife in this country. I know of a person who was imprisoned for 2 years for fraud and his life has just spiraled out of control.
Thabitha said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 11:29 AM
The world is so sick shocking news
Caron said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 11:07 AM
Criminals are sentenced to prisons as punishment not for rehabilitation.
Honestly, the only thing i'm appalled by is that the wardens are part of the criminal activities in the prisons - delivering the juvenile prisoner to be raped. I've seen numerous documentaries on prisons around the world and South African prisons aren't half as bad as most third world countries. In South African prisons you're guaranteed clothing and at least one meal a day as opposed to countries like Brazil and Thailand where you have to pay to survive in prison, whether that means getting money from the outside or working on the inside for the state or another prisoner.
Nikita said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 11:04 AM
The sad thing is that for most of these criminals life is better in prison than out. They have a roof over their heads, a bed and 3 meals a day! Most of these criminals just reoffend as soon as they are out in order to ensure they have the basic necessities to survive.
Bianca Els said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 10:58 AM
Very disturbing to read this, people can be so cruel and heartless for no reason!!! I wish they want to put the people in that cells, who is abusing and raping innocent children and woman, so that they can get a bit what they deserve. We are living in one hell of a sick country!
Refilwe said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 10:51 AM
I have no words for this but to say, this is absolutely revolting.
No hope for this country at all!
Monique said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 10:48 AM
Wow, reading that article just made me feel sick in my stomach. You would think that just those conditions alone are enough to make one not want to commit a crime to stay out of going to jail. Its really sickening. People get given jail sentences for dealing in drugs, and the reason is to rehabilitate the accused- however, going to jail just worsens the addition/crime. I worked in a criminal department for a few months at the previous firm i worked at, and to me, what was so shocking is the crimes that one is sent to jail for. I met a guy who was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for Fraud. One day i was speaking to him about the prison conditions and what he told me what something i have never heard before. He went into prison with a matric and now he has an LLB, BA degree, MBA and a doctorate in one of those. Its unbelievable. I asked him how he affords to study and he said that the jails are like another little community. The more money you have the better your "stay" will be. He stated that he chose to study and spend most of his time learning to try and stay away from the sickening happenings in the jails. He almost looked numb to the conditions in the prisons. Yet- he was grated parole after 14 years of imprisonment and then when he got out he committed more fraud related crimes- and was places back in prison. Clearly the conditions were not as bad as what he described.
Its horrific and i hope the Correctional Services Minister, Michael Masutha really does do something about this.
Yolandi P said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 10:44 AM
It is strange to think that these conditions do not rehabilitate prisoners. I would expect that this would be a contributing factor to a reduced recidivism rate but apparently not.
Obviously the means of rehabilitation that is going on in the prisons are not working and have to be reconsidered, and just like many other areas of our country corruptions needs to be eradicated. The sooner government realises that prisoners are of no economical value (seeing as they are not forced to work anymore) and juveniles that get sexually abused in prisons will just contribute to that already full prisons later in their lives, the sooner they might consider doing something to fix this problem.
Alexis said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 10:40 AM
This is just disgusting, I saw pool cues being delivered to a prison once - really, pool cues - you should not have any luxury at all when in prison for committing a crime
Bianca R said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 10:39 AM
This is disgraceful and appalling. A correctional facility is to correct and rehabilitate - this is not the case in our prisons at all. The criminals are being offered a free place to stay and free range to continue with their nonsense. It is absolutely disgraceful that the younger boys are handed to the older prisoners on a sliver platter and they are welcome to do what they want with them. At the end of the day, what we as citizens want is to have them rehabilitated and changed when / if they are released.
Juliet said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 10:35 AM
Without sounding too cynical, this does not shock me at all. I have no expectations for this country.
Jade said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 09:53 AM
I watched a documentary about a prison in Cape Town where similar horrors exist. There are gangs and hierarchies in prison. One of the gang leaders of that prison was interviewed and he described the inmates which he raped as his "wyfies". It appears as if this may be the state of affairs in most prisons and some quick action needs to be taken. Not only are there human rights violations, but in a country where crime is such a problem, one needs to ensure that our prisons rehabilitate and in the cases of life imprisonments, that convicted criminals cannot continue to commit crimes in prison.
Jade said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 09:52 AM
I watched a documentary about a prison in Cape Town where similar horrors exist. There are gangs and hierarchies in prison. One of the gang leaders of that prison was interviewed and he described the inmates which he raped as his "wyfies". It appears as if this may be the state of affairs in most prisons and some quick action needs to be taken. Not only are there human rights violations, but in a country where crime is such a problem, one needs to ensure that our prisons rehabilitate and in the cases of life imprisonments, that convicted criminals cannot continue to commit crimes in prison.
Elektra said:
on Tuesday 08-Jul-14 09:45 AM
This is just appalling, instead of rehabilitating prisoners, its like their very own sick community. As for the young boys being raped they are just being made into the next generation who will continue this vicious cycle.
I have read the in some prisons here in SA women and men's holding cells are next to each other, and while men and women are separated, the women will hold another women against the bars so the men from the other side can rape her through the bars.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
