Bars of Suffocation: A Critical Review of the Covid-19 Pandemic and its Effect on Correctional Facilities in South Africa

Nomakhosi Nomathemba Sibisi ORCID iD, Mfundo Mandla Masuku ORCID iD & Mandlenkosi Richard Mphatheni ORCID iD

Issue: Vol.5  No.7 Issue Article 22 pp.1351-1365
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245722 | Published online 24th July, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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The study’s objective was to give a critical analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic, while also assessing the influence of Covid-19 on correctional facilities in South Africa. The correctional society was not immune to the detrimental impacts of COVID-19, and its arrival forced all South African correctional facilities to take several measures, including limitations on correctional facility visitation and the early release of some offenders. Therefore, the study ought to review the impact measures devised to address this global scourge. A literature review analysis was adopted by the authors. The study critically analysed existing papers, which included; government documents/reports and scholarly papers. Thus, a qualitative content analysis was adopted for the data analysis. The study discovered that the measures that were implemented in correctional centres to address the spread of COVID-19 resulted in some incarcerated persons being released while not fully rehabilitated. The release of some of the inmates was based on the urge to reduce the overpopulation within the correctional centres. The study also discovered that the South African Correctional facilities had challenges with physical social distancing due to overcrowding. The study recommends that the administration and functions of prisons be objectively measured by the number of stakeholders and the gradation of specialist bodies to maximise the culture of efficient governance that is human rights oriented. This study adds to the existing literature on ensuring the safety of inmates of correctional facilities in South Africa.

Keywords: COVID-19, Correctional Facilities, Prisoner, Incarcerated Person, South Africa

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Nomakhosi Nomathemba Sibisi is a Lecturer and Coordinator of various modules in the School of Applied Human Sciences in the discipline of Criminology and Forensic Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She also serves as a mentor for postgraduate students. She supervises Honours, Masters and PhD postgraduate research. She is very passionate about research and has published all papers in accredited journals in her area of expertise, school violence, gender-based violence and correctional theory and practice. She has presented papers in both local and international conferences.

Mfundo Mandla Masuku is an Associate Professor in the School of Built Environment and Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He supervises at masters and PhD levels from different universities and has been actively involved in curriculum development. He is very passionate about research, and he has published more than 55 scholarly articles, 13 book chapters and 4 edited books in the following research areas: food security, inclusive education, Local Economic Development, governance and scholarship of teaching and learning. He has presented papers at both local and international conferences. He has worked with different government institutions such as the Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation. He has also been appointed by different local and international journals as a reviewer and external examiner for different universities.

Mandlenkosi Richard Mphatheni is a Criminology and Criminal Justice Lecturer at the University of Limpopo, teaching first years and third students. He is a member of the World Society of Victimology and has presented orally at the last symposium of WSV held in Donostia-San Sebastian City in Spain. His research interests and publications are in Cybercrime, Sexual offences, criminology as a profession and Gender-based violence.

Sibisi, Nomakhosi Nomathemba, Mfundo Mandla Masuku & Mandlenkosi Richard Mphatheni. “Bars of Suffocation: A Critical Review of the Covid-19 Pandemic and its Effect on Correctional Facilities in South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.7 (2024): 1351-1365. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245722

© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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