A Glimpse of Prison Life

SHOOT: My first realisation when I entered the cell is that with one's freedom taken away there is immediately nothing of meaning or consequence to do all day but wait. Wait for what?

There is of course also the choice of socialising with the degenerates of society - lies, thieves, losers, rapists, murderers and the rest of the morally corrupt. It's not a place that fosters growth but quite the opposite, the decay of hope and the deepening decay of what goodness remains in these perpetrators of foul misdeeds.

One interesting comment that came up today in a conversation I had with Gavin Hood, was that during my brief incarceration I felt less intimidated by my fellow prisoners than by the guards and policemen.

clipped from www.sowetan.co.za Prevention is better than cure. These are the words of the Mondeor SAPS and Pillar to Post, an educational theatre company. The 31 pupils visited the female section where Leah Steyn, a prisoner serving 25- years for drug trafficking, told them about her life in prison. Steyn told the children about the hardships of life behind bars and how this had affected her children. Matthew Matthysen, 12, said he learnt a lot from the tour. “I will not make the same mistake they did. This really shows that crime doesn’t pay,” he said. PHOTO GALLERY: Glenanda Primary school visited JHB prison