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South Africa
Capital city —
Pretoria
Country population
56,300,000
Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabit…
286
i
31/03/2017
/
ICPR
Type of government
Parliamentary republic
Human Development Index
0.666
i
2016
/ UNDP
Name of authority in charge of the pris…
Ministry of Justice
Total number of prisoners
161,054
i
31/03/2017
/
ICPR
Prison density
135 %
i
2017
/ Department of Correctional Services
Total number of prison facilities
237
i
2017
An NPM has been established
No
Number and percentage of female prisone…
2.6 %
i
2017
/ Department of Correctional Services
Untried prisoners
27.2 %
i
2017
/ Department of Correctional Services
Death penalty is abolished
yes
since 1997
+
Country-profile
Seen in the press
Testimonials
Interviews
Year
2017
2021
2017
Contributor(s)
Derrick Thulani & Sasha Gear (Just Detention International)
Introduction
Overview
Prison population
Organisation
Prison facilities
Safeguards
National Preventive Mechanisms and other external control bodies
Special populations
Women
Untried prisoners
Death penalty prisoners
Physical integrity
Death penalty
Life imprisonment
Deaths in detention
Ill-treatment and violence
Arbitrary or secret detention
Specific population
Prison population
Women
Juveniles
Foreigners
LGBTI persons
Prisoners of conscience
The elderly
The sick and the disabled
The system organisation
The penitentiary system
Premises
Staff
Daily life
The cells and their equipment
Food
Hygiene
Health
Activities
Work
Schooling and professional training
Religion
External participants
Financial resources and destitution
Security and safety
Contact with the outside world
Family visits
Correspondence and phone calls
Sentence adjustment policies
Access to legal rights
National preventive mechanism (NPM)
Recommendations
For more information
Print
Special populations
Number and percentage of female prisoners
2.6 %
(4,174)
i
2017
/ Department of Correctional Services
27.2 %
(43,799)
i
2017
/ Department of Correctional Services
Death penalty is abolished
yes
since 1997
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