In a recent report to the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, later discussed at a press conference, it was noted that as at the end of March 2024, South African prisons were suffering from considerable overcrowding. The report stated that Correctional Services now houses 156 000 prisoners, whereas in reality it only has room for 105 474 inmates. This amounts to an overcrowding rate of 48 per cent. It was also revealed that the Department spends R500 a day on each inmate. Minister Pieter Groenewald stated that, of the 243 prisons in South Africa, 190 are at over 100 per cent capacity.

Internationally, it is worth noting that “the average global occupancy rate of prisons is 130%. More than half of the countries in the world have overcrowded prisons. In Africa, overcrowding is particularly bad. South Africa’s occupancy rate of 146% ranks 27th among African countries, according to World Prison Brief.” Penal Reform International states that over 118 countries exceeded their maximum occupancy rate, with eleven national prison systems at more than double their capacity.

Paper by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference Parliamentary Liaison Office