Prison Journalism: Risks in prison

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Prisoners face a wide variety of risks in prison. Oftentimes, they risk of being assaulted, raped, and even killed at the hands of prison officers and fellow prisoners. Officials also face violent victimisation by inmates.

Witnessing inmate violence

During my incarceration, I witnessed violence among inmates: either gang members attacking each other or gang members attacking non-gang members, with non-gang members retaliating. It doesn’t end there, as prison officers also suffer attacks by inmates. Causes for prison violence include poor prison management, leading to corruption, drugs, gang-related activity, or certain individuals fighting each other. Another cause of violence, especially during my time at Pollsmoor, was overcrowding. 80 percent of inmates smoked tobacco. I witnessed an incident where an inmate got stabbed over tobacco.

Gang control

Other inmates also fight for food. Serious violence in prison occurs when gang members fight each other. Gang members control discipline within the prison, and when a fellow gang member becomes stubborn, the punishment is very brutal. In one incident, which happened right in front of me, a 26-gang member was attacked by a 28-gang member who hit him in the head with a lock tied to a towel, leaving him bleeding and needing hospital stitches.

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Violence from prison officials

Violence also occurs when prison officials suspect that there is a mobile phone in a certain cell. Wardens would beat everyone, and sometimes inmates retaliate until they call the “tuck mak” – those prison officers who wear black t-shirts, usually carry pepper sprays and dogs, and don’t have time for negotiations. They beat, and most prisoners, even the gang members, are afraid of them. It is believed that for a gang member to gain more power and ranks in prison, you should stab or kill one of the prison officers. Because of this, the prison wardens suffer attacks and violence from inmates.

Use of weapons and minimum force

Sometimes, minimum force is used to disarm inmates to stop them from attacking other wardens. Inmates usually use well-sharpened toothbrushes, glasses, or padlocks to attack the wardens. 

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Sexual and verbal violence

Violence in prison doesn’t specifically mean physical violence only; there’s also sexual violence and verbal violence. There are cases where other inmates are raped in prison. I witnessed a case where someone was raped for tobacco, for instance, when you’re craving to smoke but don’t have any and don’t get tobacco, other inmates take advantage of that.

Prison riots and hunger strikes

Besides all that, prison riots are another form of violence, which is most likely to happen in prison. When I went to prison in 2016, we used to hear that the previous year inmates organised a prison riot and went on a hunger strike, leading to clashes between inmates and correctional officers. It was said that prison riots usually happened on the maximum side in Pollsmoor.

Preventing violence

However, a lot must be done to prevent violence in prison, including mutual respect between correctional officers and inmates. A lot of rehabilitation and recreation to keep prisoners busy should be practiced, at least the prison should not be overcrowded. Anger management programs can help to calm down hostile prisoners.

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DISCLAIMER: Submission published as received

Should you wish to assist in the rehabilitation of former inmates and help put money into the pockets of those who have struggled to earn a living during and after incarceration, click HERE 

RESTORE is an NGO based in Cape Town, South Africa, providing inmates at Pollsmoor Prison with restorative justice opportunities.

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