ABSTRACT
As there are only a handful of studies and regional human rights reports on women in prison in Africa, the experiences and conditions of women in prison in South Africa will be used to analyse the extent to which Baroness Jean Corston's recommendations can be considered and redefined in other, developmental settings. To better understand the complexities of prison reform, including the challenges of advocating, at least in part, for abolitionism and the promotion of non-custodial sentencing in South Africa, the socio-demographics of the country must be presented. The South African Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is mandated by domestic and international law to provide a humane environment for its prisoners, including the provision of healthcare services. The notion that psychosocial services in prisons are reported by women as being life-changing leads to the irony of imprisonment of women in South Africa.
