LIST OF ACRONYMS
CHAPTER 5: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
5.2 CORRECTIONAL OFFICIAL’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE TERM ‘SEXUAL ASSAULT’
5.2.8 Gang activities in correctional centre
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I would say the overcrowding promotes sexual assault of offenders, the overcrowding situation of correctional centres (Participant, D02).
Frustration about overcrowding in male correctional centres has been of much emphasis throughout the discussions amongst participants. The participants revealed that overcrowding makes it impossible for the effective curbing of sexual assault. They alluded that a cell which is designed to accommodate 3 individual offenders accommodate 30. As a result, there are no beds, and offenders end up sharing a bed subsequently leading to sexual assault. Participants expressed that overcrowding in cells increases the chance for sexual assault to occur. One participant further mentioned that even the isolation cells are crowded. From the above data, it is evident that overcrowding is rife in Westville Correctional Centre.
The above narratives on overcrowding demonstrated a strong need for prevention methods for male sexual assault. This finding is consistent with findings from other studies that overcrowding in correctional centre has an impact on the extent of sexual assault (Hensley, 2002; Dumond et al., 2000; Booyens, 2008; Shayi, 2008; Singh, 2007) (Section 2.5.1).
Correctional officials are aware that overcrowding in the correctional centre is a problem that potentially results in sexual assault of offenders.
From the above discussion, it is evident that overcrowding results in prevalent of gang activity in correctional centre; both these factors are interlinked to each other. With that in mind, the following discussion is on gang activity in correctional centre.
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“You see in the prison, there are basically two gangs 26 or 28 and then there are offenders that do not belong to a gang, this sexual assault normally just happens under the 28 gang and it is not everybody that’s doing it” (Participant, A01).
You know gangsterism in our correctional centres is rife especially in KZN we got the 26s and 28s, the 28s are the ones that are sexually active that believe in having wives in correctional centres etc. So mostly when it happens, it happens with somebody or from somebody from those gangs but it doesn’t happen very often,it mostly the one gang of offenders because that is their modus operandi that how they operate (Participant, B01).
“Also peer pressure plays a role, when you are part of a gang there are certain things that you need or practice to do to prove yourself just like sexually assaulting other offenders. When an offender gets here the first the other ask him is who are you or uyilphi (which side are you in) are you 26/28 or someone’s wife etc.” (Participant, B02).
“Here in this correctional centre, we have a camp of 28s so you find that they sometimes don’t realise that this is wrong to do this because of its part of their culture to sexually assaulted other offenders… some offenders believe in the gang so much … some were gang member even in the community. When they get here their become part of the gang that how much others believe in this thing of gangs, they believe in it so much especially if his a 28” (Participant, C01).
“You see with the gangs in correctional centres it very hard to avoid such issues because, with the gang like the 28s, there have a major impact on male sexual assault” (Participant, C02).
“In correctional centres, we know that gangs rule and its part of their mission to sleep with other men … Those who have been sexually assaulted are those who have been forced and are scared of the perpetrator because in most cases they are part of the gang which are the 28s.
And with the 28s it’s a must to sexually assault another male in order to be part of the gang”
(Participant, D01).
“Some of the gangs do believe in engaging sexual activities you know so it like part of a culture or something like that” (Participant, D02).
The participants revealed that the 28 and 26 gangs are prominent in correctional centre, they alluded that the 28 gang is the one that commits sexual assault and believes in having wives (wyfies) in the correctional centre. One participant highlighted that gang activity is predominant in correctional centres in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Participants expressed that peer
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pressure from the gang member contributes to male offenders committing male sexual assault to prove themselves in the gang. One participant revealed that there are offenders who believe so much in gangsterism, especially the 28 members, who were even gang members in the community and got to the correctional centre continued to affiliate themselves with gangs. The participants allude that gang members do not perceive male sexual assault wrong because it is part of their culture.
Gangsterism is rife at Westville Correctional Centre, with the 28 gang which is famous for their use of coerced sex to create wyfies for the pleasure of designated males in the gang. The data in this research reiterate a study that gang activity is prevalent in correctional centre (Singh, 2007). The study findings show that the 28 gang is dominant, as a results the non-gang member are vulnerable to male sexual assault; the 28 gang is the one that commits male sexual with an intention to create a wyfie, this is part of their modus operandi, it is how the 28 gang operate (Booyens, 2014; Harvey, 2002; Trammell, 2011) (Section 2.5.2). Male offenders may also engage in male sexual assault to attain a certain position in the gang (Booyens, 2008). It can be argued that the architectural structure of most correctional centres and the staff shortages also create opportunities for gangs to operate without much resistance (Albert, 2007). Gang members offer commodities and luxuries such as cigarettes, dagga and soap to the new offender as a premise to care and fend for the unsuspecting newcomer. The receiver of these commodities and gestures of friendship is not aware that these actions are part of a ploy to create an indebtedness that can only be settled by way of sexual favours (Albert, 2007).These responses indicate that correctional officials at Westville Correctional Centre are aware of the delinquent of gang activities.
The above discussion show that participants were aware of the existence of sexual assault, factors that perpetuate the issues and who and why offenders commit sexual assault. With that in mind, it is equally as important to know how correctional officials feel about male sexual assault in correction centres. The following discussion seeks to unpack the perceptions of correctional services officials.
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5.3 PERCEPTION OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICIALS ON MALE SEXUAL