Behind Prison Walls: Unlocking a Safer South Africa

Description South Africa has the largest prison population in Africa. After the Zuma presidency undermined crime intelligence, violent crime skyrocketed, and the murder rate increased by more than 70%. South Africa has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world, and the vast majority of murderers in South Africa are never prosecuted to conviction. Perhaps an even more shocking truth is that our prisons help perpetuate these crimes. Visiting Vereeniging Prison as a student changed the trajectory of Justice Edwin Cameron’s life. More recently, as inspecting judges of prisons, he has faced the numerous failures of our carceral system, impelling him to explore ways to improve it. With this book, he and his colleagues, Rebecca Gore and Sohela Surajpal, confront our history and propose solutions for the future.