International Journal on Criminology Volume 3, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 36

Organized Crime Behind Bars
anyway, nor to share information, much less cross reference it in any attempt to prevent
irreparable consequences.
Let us turn to some more examples, non-exhaustive of course, this time from
other countries.
B - South Africa, Pioneer in the Field
In South Africa, the threat of prison criminality has existed since the early
twentieth century. Gangs are present in all the country's prisons, most notably in a
structure called the “Number.” 29
According to the “Jali Commission” of Inquiry, 30 named for its chairman, “the
prison administration has lost its ability to exercise control” and in many prisons
criminal organizations have “become the law.” 31
The authorities are unable to ensure the safety of prisoners in custody. Beyond the
general disorganization in the running of the prison, these gangs are often responsible
for violence and homicide. For many years, one punishment handed out by gangs in
South African jails to prisoners who stepped out of line was to have them raped by one
or several henchmen with AIDS, a ritual known as the “slow puncture.” 32 The cause
of the slow death being considered “natural,” the murder would not be recorded in
the statistics for prison violence, even though it was long evident that deaths from
this disease within the South African prison system had grown far faster than in the
population at large.
This situation could, perhaps, have been avoided. In September 1912, 33 a
meeting of prison directors, convened by the Ministry of Justice, adopted a resolution
which stated that in order to fight against prison gangs, it was necessary for membership
to be a punishable offense in itself. For unknown reasons, these measures were never
implemented.
The Number is not a prison gang by origin. Its members are an extension of the
“criminal culture” of the outside world, originating in bands of thieves who ravaged the
29
Gangsters call themselves “Numbers” because historically, South African organizations took
numbers as identifiers, the highest of which may not exceed 28. When they have a name, it is
incidental.
30
Commission of Inquiry into prisons chaired by Judge Thabani Jali: Commission of Inquiry into
Alleged Incidents of Corruption, Maladministration, Violence or Intimidation in the Department of
Correctional Services Appointed by Order of the President of the Republic of South Africa in Terms of
Proclamation No. 135 of 2001, as Amended. South Africa Prisons Ministry, November 2006.
31
According to Dr. Willem Schurink, testifying before the Jali Commission. Cape Argus, February 19,
2003.
32
According to the Director of prison inspections, Gideon Morris, testifying before the Jali
Commission (Reuters, 22 November 2002). See also: Maclennan, B., “Slow puncture; death sentence
for Prisoners,” November 20, 2002 (www.iol.co.za).
33
State Archives, Department of Justice, Vol 144, No. 1 issue: 31,778,112, quoted in Van Onselen, C.,
Regiment of the Hills, unpublished. See Haysom, Nicholas. Towards an understanding of Prison Gangs.
Republic of South Africa: University of Cape Town Institute of Criminology, 1981, 15.
31