Children in Prison in South Africa - Community Law Centre

How the Children are Cared For8. An effort must be made to ensure that threemeals are served per day at reasonable intervals.Separation of Children from Adults andolder Youth1. There should be strict segregation according toage in prison, except where prisoners are sharingeducational and training facilities during the day.2. Prisons should be more proactive in their effortsto check ages of prisoners and to ensure thatthey are not kept with adults, nor with older youthover the age of 18.Conditions in the PrisonThe following are general problems in prisons, buthave a particularly negative impact on children.Urgent steps need to be taken to ensure they areaddressed.3. There should be higher staff ratios, especially atnight.4. The physical conditions of prisons must beupgraded.5. Overcrowding in prisons must be alleviated.6. The head of the prison, or possibly the areamanager should inspect prisons housing childrenon a regular basis to ensure that they comply withthe basic standards of hygiene. The cleanlinessof cells should be maintained in accordance withbasic standards of hygiene.7. Adequate blankets, sheets and clothing must beissued to sentenced juveniles immediately onadmission to prison. Facilities must be availablefor children to do their washing at least once aweek: this requires that children should have morethan one set of clothing. Blankets should be keptclean and in a lice-free condition.9. The children's diet should be investigated andimproved. Complaints of continual hunger suggestthat the children are insufficiently fed or receive anincorrect nutritional balance.Recreation10. There should be greater involvement of theoutside community in prisons, for examplethrough recreational programmes.11. Prisoners' recreational initiatives should be -encouraged and opportunities should be soughtto showcase their talents.12. Children must be allowed regular exercise, sport,art and music, etc. and must not be confined tojust watching television. A standard recommendedminimum for children's exercise should be set.Contact with Families13. All efforts should be made to ensure that childrenare in contact with their families and that visitstake place.Violence in Prisons14. Senior management in the prisons should becounselled about the use of violence and solitaryconfinement against misbehaving children.People who work in Prisons15.The Correctional Services Department shouldtrain staff who will be oriented towards child carework.16. An effort should be made to employ staff,especially social workers, who can communicatewith juvenile offenders in their own language.17.Social workers, trained in children's rights, shouldbe assigned to large prisons to work withRECOMMENDATIONS