There's been a 3 000% increase in prisoners serving life sentences since 1995 - LHR
20 September 2016
Cape Town - The country's "dark" and "draconian" parole regulations are violating eligible prisoners' rights by keeping them behind bars for too long, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) told Parliament on Tuesday.
LHR attorney Clare Ballard told the portfolio committee on justice and correctional services that South Africa's parole process "badly needs redress".
"The problem of backlog is only going to get worse. Parole is necessary because it saves a life sentence from becoming unconstitutional," she said.
Ballard said there had been a 3 000% increase in "lifers", prisoners serving life sentences, since 1995.