prison isolates inmates_ruth hopkins.pdf
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Wits Justice Project senior journalist Ruth Hopkins reveals how inmates were held in solitary confinement, sometimes for extended periods, at a privately-run prison in the Free State.TRANSCRIPT
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City Press || 26 May 2013 11
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PrisonPrison
isolatesisolatesinmatesinmatesManagement at FreeStateprisonmight be flouting laws
On November 25 2005, Oupa Mabalane
started what would be four years in
solitary confinement. Sunlight filtered
through a single, tiny window in his
dark cell.
He was told by prison management
that the isolation was for his own
safety – he was apparently at risk of
becoming a victim of gang violence, alegitimate reason for placing a prisoner
in a single cell.
But the isolation dragged on.
Mabalane spent 23 hours each day in
his cell, had barely any contact with other
inmates and was not allowed to access
newspapers or television.
He was not allowed to take part in
any rehabilitation programmes.
“The isolation drove me insane. I
was in constant mental pain and I tried
to commit suicide with a razor blade in
2009.” Still, he remained in his single cell.
Mabalane set fire to his cell and started
holding prison staff hostage.
He was transferred to Kokstad Prison
on November 6 2009, to a shared cell.
But then he was sent back to
Mangaung Prison in March this year,
and had been immediately placed in
solitary confinement again.
“I was detained in a single cell again
for 30 days,” he said.
Ishmael Mohlomi was detained in a
single cell from November 22 2012 to
April 22 this year.
Joseph Monaise was placed inisolation for what was supposed to
be seven days because of his involvement
in a hostage drama at the prison last
November. But, he said: “They assured
me they would detain me in that cell
for two years.”
He threatened to burn his cell and
demanded an explanation from prison
management. But he says none has
been offered and he has been in
isolation since November 7.
According to the prison’s controller,
Clement Motsapi, the three had not been
segregated. Instead, he said, they’d been
placed under “high care”.
High care is subject to the same
legal restrictions as solitary confinement.
– Ruth Hopkins
RUTH HOPKINS
Inmates at Bloemfontein’sMangaung Prison are beingkept in solitary confinement forup to four years at a time.
But the prison’s managementrefuses to explain itself tothe Judicial Inspectorate forCorrectional Services, anoffice within the correctionalservices department run by theinspecting judge and taskedwith monitoring conditions inSouth Africa’s prisons.
And now the inspectorate haswritten to it, demanding answersabout this illegal practice.
A confidential 2009government report – a copy of which City Press has seen – lists62 cases of inmatesat the prison whowere detained insingle cells withoutprivileges, forperiods rangingfrom two weeksto four years.
The report alsoreveals that twoinmates were
denied TB and HIV medication whilein solitaryconfinement.
On a recent visitto the prison, CityPress discoveredthe practice is stillcontinuing (seetop right).
Long-termsolitaryconfinement isan unpleasantecho of the past,when politicalprisoners wereregularly detainedin single cells foryears at a time.PAC leader RobertSobukwe wasdetained in a solitary cell onRobben Island fornine years.
Today,segregating
inmates remains a common measurein South Africa’s prisons – but itis not allowed as a punishment.
Instead, it can be imposed if the prisonerrequests it or a medical conditionmeans isolation is necessary.
A prisoner can also be keptalone in a single cell if they areconsidered an escape risk, areperceived to be a threat to otherinmates or it is believed they will
be the targets of violence in a shared cell.
The segregation must bereported to the authoritiesif it lasts longer than sevendays, and inmates in solitaryconfinement must be visited
by a medical practitioner orpsychologist every day during
the isolation period.From the 2009 report, it
appears that Mangaung Prison’smanagement has ignored theserequirements.
According to Koos Gerber, thespokesperson for the correctionalservices department, “heads of correctional centres are obligedto comply with these prescriptsand where it is not done itwould, in essence, be wrong”.
Mangaung Prison is run byBritish security firm G4S, afterit signed a contract withgovernment in 2000 to buildand manage the facility. Theprison opened in 2001 andhouses about 3000 inmates.
On April 25 this year,the inspectorate contactedthe prison’s management to askfor more information about theinmates who were segregated
in 2009.By law, prisons
are obliged toprovide thisinformation to theinspectorate. ButG4S respondedabruptly, saying:“A.. . concern is thatthese requests aremostly signed
by administrativepersonnel, whichraises the question if the inspecting judgeis aware or in needof the information.
“This furtherraised the concernof who is reallyrequesting theinformation and forwhat purposes theinformation isrequested for.”
The replyinfuriated theinspectorate, whosenational managerof legal services,Umesh Raga,responded in a second letter, inwhich he wrote:“We are indeedflummoxed by suchaspersions on theintegrity of our staff and our mandate.”
The prison’scontroller, Clement
Motsapi, is employed andinstructed by the correctionalservices department. It ishis job to monitor whether theprison complies with rules andregulations regarding detention.
Inmates say it was Motsapiwho approved their placement inisolation. When questioned bythe inspectorate the prison’smanagement said this was notsegregation but “high care”.
But, according to the law,the inspecting judge as wellas the department’s nationalcommissioner must be notifiedof such decisions.
» Hopkins is a member of the Wits
Justice Project
Four years in solitary
The Czech capital Prague has taken
speed dating to an entirely new level
– the city is introducing “dating cars”
on the the country’s only metro system.
Starting later this year, select carriages
on each of Prague’s three underground
train lines will be designated “singles-
friendly”, the German Spiegel Online
reported this week.
The average trip time on the Prague
metro is five minutes, the website
reported, so it will take considerable
charm and excellent snap judgement
for commuters in need of romance to
find a prospective partner.
Filip Drapal, a spokesperson for the
city’s public transport authority, told
Spiegel Online the plan was designed to
show people “what activities you can do
on public transport that you cannot do
inside your car (like reading, studying,
listening to music, playing e-games and
checking emails)”.
He further said: “Simultaneously,
we realise there is a negative trend of
more and more people being single or
not married. So we would like to help
these people and generally draw
attention to this social phenomenon
as well.” – Staff reporter
62cases of inmates at the
prison who were detained
in single cells without
privileges, for periods rangingfrom two weeks to four years
‘‘Heads of correctionalcentres areobliged to
comply withthese
prescripts
– KOOS GERBER
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Love on the (train) line in Prague
‘‘He who opens a schooldoor, closes a prison– French poet Victor Hugo (1802-1885)