Eight children aged between seven and 13 are serving jail terms ranging from six months to 24 years in five provinces — a tiny proportion of the 1 803 children younger than 18 doing time, Department of Correctional Services statistics show.
Of those eight, three were jailed for aggressive crimes (including murder, attempted murder, assault and aggravated assault). One is serving 12 to 24 years and the two others 10 to 15 years.
Two youngsters are serving six-month sentences and one a three-to-five year jail term for economic crimes (theft and the like). One was jailed for 10 to 15 years for sexual crimes and two jailed for ”other crimes” are serving six months and five to seven years in jail.
Although the Department of Correctional Services prefers not to have child prisoners, it must carry out imposed sentences.
”If courts sentence eight-year-olds, and if there are no secure care facilities, they land in our system,” said the department’s chief deputy commissioner Jenny Schreiner.
There was a significant increase in children involved in violent and organised crime over the past two years, she told Parliament’s social development committee on Wednesday. The increase was related to social factors such as the lack of recreational facilities, unemployment and the high prevalence of violence and factors related to transition to democracy.
A total of 2 157 children younger than 18 are awaiting trial in prisons, including five 14-year-olds for murder in Westville prison, KwaZulu-Natal. In addition, 4 019 18-year-olds are awaiting trial. And 192 children under the age of two are living with their sentenced mothers in 13 separate units in jails around South Africa.
A total of 3 960 children younger than 18 are among the prison population of 178 998 sentenced and awaiting trial prisoners. Most are kept in separate sections of adult jails as there are just 13 youth correctional centres countrywide exclusively for child offenders. But the number of children increases to 11 441 if sentenced or awaiting trial 18-year olds are included.
Another 2 044 children younger than 18 are awaiting trial in approximately 32 safe-care facilities — 10 of which are operated by the Department of Social Development, the rest in conjunction with other organisations.