Parole

At the start of this month, prison guards at Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria injured inmates sentenced to life who were protesting against the delays in their parole processes. The Wits Justice Project (WJP) has seen pictures of four prisoners with head wounds and large bruises on their limbs. Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), who are representing inmates involved in the protest, claim that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) placed nine prisoners in segregation, without observing rules and regulations … Read more

While the parole system or parole boards cannot fix a wrongful conviction, the “contrition” requirement in the parole process currently functions as a quid pro quo for release. This is disproportionately punitive towards people who still maintain their innocence. Joseph Motsepe Setshedi has vowed to rather die in prison than admit guilt for a crime he says he never committed. Setshedi was convicted in 1999 for the 1995 murder of Bigboy, the boyfriend of Ga Rankuwa resident Joyce Newpham. Newpham … Read more