South African prisoners will no longer be allowed to carry cash with them inside prisons from next year, the Department of Correctional Services said on Tuesday.
It said in a statement the move should help reduce the opportunities for corruption, bribery and mismanagement inside the country’s jails.
”It is believed that in a cashless society where there will be no money to pay for favours, there will be less corrupt practices.”
From January 1 next year prisoners would only be able to purchase items according to their ”individual privilege classifications”.
”In other words prisoners will not handle cash, but will merely place their orders with specified officials. Payment of the purchases will be deducted from their private funds. At the end of imprisonment, any remaining balance will be provided to prisoners,” the department said.
Some sentenced prisoners receive a gratuity from the state depending on work conducted, and inmates can also receive funds from family and friends. According to the department the new system had already been implemented at some prisons and it was expected to be in place at all jails by the end of the year.
A pilot project recently conducted in Johannesburg Prison had proved successful in limiting acts of corruption and bribery. ”Obviously liberty is limited in prisons therefore the ability to acquire goods and services becomes a sought after privilege.
”This creates the breeding ground for acts of mismanagement, corruption and bribery.”
It stressed that the cashless system did not take away any privileges that prisoners previously enjoyed, and that money could be paid, at the relevant prison reception office, into an inmate’s account.
Awaiting trial prisoners would be allowed to buy certain goods to the value of R200 a month, while sentenced prisoners could purchase goods valued at between R50 a month and R200 a month depending on their classification. – Sapa