Prison farms could produce benefits

I’M NOT sure if we have a minister responsible for such things, but is anyone in our government prepared to put their hand up and tell us why we have no prison farms in South Africa?

Land is not a problem. Nor, it would seem, is the availability of suitable staff.

The reason I ask is because in the country I came from in the 1980s there were a number of successful prison farms that not only rehabilitated the inmates mentally by giving them back their dignity and a reason to live a good life, but also taught them key skills such as carpentry, farming, plumbing, electrical etcetera for the upliftment of their lives after incarceration.

These institutions produced excellent exportable quality crops and other food items, as well as saleable hardware – wooden and steel furniture etcetera – enabling them to be self-funding.

I’m not sure what transpired after Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe took over, probably the same as is happening in our country now with our current president, but surely there is merit in the concept?

Underutilised land would become productive again, people would be taught (not given) skills that would enable them to find employment to be able to earn an income after their release.

I would hazard a guess that it would be unconstitutional to force a person to work against their will, but perhaps someone who holds the relevant portfolio could tell us why we have no such operations or if we do, where are they and what do they produce?

PAT MCKRILL

Cato Ridge