Cape Town – The latest figures show there are more than 156 000 inmates in prisons around the country, more than a quarter of whom are awaiting-trial prisoners.

“As at 20 August [this year], there are a total of 156 370 inmates in our correctional facilities, of which 112 416 are sentenced offenders, and 43 954 are remand detainees,” Correctional Services Minister Sibusiso Ndebele said.

In a written reply to a parliamentary question, tabled on Tuesday, he said his department was committed to reducing overcrowding in its facilities.

“The [department] committed itself to reduce the level of overcrowding by at least 2% per annum in order to comply with the constitutional requirement to detain inmates under humane conditions.”

Ndebele said correctional services had managed to reduce overcrowding in prisons from 38% in 2007/08, “to 28% as on 30 July [this year]”.

– SAPA