A look inside the work of South African inmates

From sewing to farming and baking their own bread, South African prisoners get up to far more than sitting in their cells all day, as is often shown on TV.

Images shared by the Department of Correctional Services on social media show inmates baking bread, sewing, refurbishing furniture, performing woodwork, and even having their nails done.

This is all thanks to the Department of Correctional Services’ Self-Sufficiency and Sustainability programme (SFSS), which aims to make the country’s prisons self-sufficient.

“An essential part of the programme is rehabilitation. You cannot have inmates sitting in cells doing nothing all day,” Minister of Correctional Services Dr Pieter Groenewald told Radio Islam International.

“We have a constitutional and conscious obligation to ensure that prisoners are rehabilitated so that they can be successfully reintegrated into society and prevent reoffending.”

A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that time spent in prison with a focus on rehabilitation and work can assist with job training and an increased chance of employment.

Another by Suman, Nishchal, Reshma, Bhanu, Sandra, and Razi says that rehabilitation programmes also reduce rates of recidivism by providing prisoners with the tools to successfully reintegrate into society.

“These programs not only improve inmates’ chances of successful reintegration but also benefit society as a whole by reducing crime rates and associated costs,” it said.

Groenewald pointed to the bakery recently opened at the Westville Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, which will provide bread to 10,111 people, including inmates and staff, in that management area.

“There are 50 inmates that have been selected and trained to work in the bakery,” the Minister said.

“Once they are released, we will give them a certificate to say that they have worked in the bakery, complied and have certain skills. This will enhance their chances of getting a job once back in society.”

The Westville bakery is the thirteenth to open and forms part of the SFSS, which is playing a significant role in helping to reduce the exorbitant cost of prisons.

“I believe that they must produce some of their food themselves, and the reason for that is to save taxpayers’ money,” Groenewald said.

Because the bakery can produce bread at R8 a loaf as opposed to R23.50, which the department previously paid for bread, it saves R3 million per year.

The Minister added that on the agricultural side, South Africa’s prison system has 21 farms and 115 vegetable patches.

He says these can be used to produce vegetables, meat, and milk for inmates, which saves the taxpayer R130 million annually.

Groenewald mentioned that his department has entered a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to assist prisons with agricultural production.

He added that this private company has also agreed to assist inmates involved in agricultural production while in prison to seek employment once released.

R28 billion a year

According to Groenewald, it costs South Africa R463 per day to house a single prisoner.

In July, it was reported that there are 166,008 inmates in prisons nationwide, meaning the daily cost to taxpayers is R76.8 million.

The cost over an entire year is over R28 billion.

The Minister said that his department’s budget has been cut by R11.7 billion over the past five years, limiting its ability to meet legislative requirements.

“Legislation requires that overcrowding in prison be limited, that prisons must meet certain security requirements, which cannot always be fulfilled, and that inmates receive meals that meet certain dietary requirements,” he said.

While making prisoners self-sufficient has been one way of mitigating rising costs and budget cuts, deporting foreign prisoners has been another consideration.

The Minister says South Africa’s prisons currently house 25,000 foreign inmates, 13,000 of which are remand detainees who have not been released on bail.

A remand detainee is someone who has been arrested and charged with a crime but is being held in custody while awaiting trial.

However, at R463 a day, foreign prisoners are costing taxpayers R11.6 million per day, with remand prisoners costing just over R6 million.

The Minister says that he is in the process of applying to amend legislation which obligates South Africa to keep foreign prisoners in local facilities.

More images of South African prisoners at work