A Prisoner's Right?: The legal case for rehabilitation

Abstract

This article examines the rights of South African prisoners to rehabilitation in light of the entitlement to rehabilitation contained in the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 and the White Paper on Corrections, and thus enshrined in statute. The author contends that prison conditions play a significant role in the failure of the South African government to implement successful rehabilitative programmes. The article considers the potential recourse available to South African prisoners to judicially enforce the South African government’s obligation with regard to effective rehabilitation programmes.