Children in Prison in South Africa - Community Law Centre

een a probation officers report, nor any visit by asocial worker to the boys or their relatives.Two unsentenced girlsheld at the PietersburgFemale Prison, both firstoffenders, had beengranted bail of R300 eachwhich neither couldafford. Both their trialshad been finalised in theabsence of theirguardians.In the Thohoyandoucomplex of prisons, of•the seven children interviewedonly one hadbeen granted bail - whichneither he nor his parentscould afford. The parentsof a 14 year'old boy had not been informed of histransfer to the prison.One child, a boy of 15, had been reported by hisown mother for theft of food from her house.One of-the boys interviewed at JohannesburgMedium A was not granted bail at all. Two were grantedbail of R400and R500each which they wereunable to pay. The otherfour were granted bail ofR1500/R2000, R4000 and'.R580Ô which they werealso unable to pay. Five ofthem had been sent directlyto prison after their arrest.They were told that therewas no space in the Placesof Safety. Apparently, someof the warrants indicatingthat they should be sent toPlaces of Safety had beenchangep!.Data collected at theWestville Youth Centreshowed that, according to warrants available foranalysis on 10 January 1997, 32.63% of the childrenwere held in prison awaiting trial for over threemonths. Some spent twenty months awaiting trial.