Prison Journalism: The reality of number gangs in South African prisons
Prison Journalism: The reality of number gangs in South African prisons
Warning: This article features content which readers may find disturbing
Number gang is the main activity in South African prisons, and it is a culture with norms, values, rituals, and strict rules.
Reasons for joining the number gang
During my time of incarceration in Pollsmoor, I witnessed why people join the number apart from it being just an activity practiced by inmates out of boredom and to pass time in prison. The major cause of why inmates join the number is the ill-treatment you get when you are a non-gang member. You are considered a coward and not man enough. Once you get the number, you are considered man enough, and your boldness will make you gain respect.
Advantages of being a gang member
Once you gain respect, that is the biggest advantage, as you will be able to dominate and rule the jail wherever you go as long as you are in jail. This advantage comes with robbing or taking whatever you like from non-gang members. You have the power to make non-gang members do whatever you like without them retaliating.
When I was in prison, I was in a juvenile section, and most of the children who came to prison grew up in townships and Cape Flats. Townships such as Manenberg and Gugulethu are coloured and black locations where there is the highest crime rate, such as weapon trafficking, drug abuse, poverty, etc. These people, when they come to jail, in order to protect themselves, they have to join the gang number. So the other advantage is to protect yourself from enemies. Once you get the number, you are protected by other gang members from whoever wants to attack you.
Disadvantages of being a gang member
Even though joining the number in jail comes with a lot of advantages, there are also many effects. This includes prison violence. Once you join, violence in prison means you are able to commit more crime within the prison, and that means you will stay longer in jail. For instance, if you are in a number gang and you want to get a bigger rank in the number, you have to spill blood by stabbing someone, which means you will be sentenced for that offence.
Another disadvantage is that if you are a gang member and involved in illegal number activities, your chances of getting parole and other privileges within the prison decrease. Other inmates are granted privileges due to their behaviour.
The other disadvantage of joining the number is that you will create more enemies within and outside prison. You will never know who is going to attack you, as the number gang comes with activities that oppress others who will want to seek revenge one day. Your chances of dying anytime are high.
The number gang has advantages and disadvantages, but it is a culture that only works inside prison. Inmates who have dedicated themselves to this kind of life end up dying in jail. Most of them end up getting life sentences. Prison violence, physical abuse, and other criminal activities will be forever present as long as the number gang still exists. Efforts have been made to stop gangsterism, but they have never helped.
As someone who has been in jail, I can’t advise someone to join the number gang or not because it’s a choice. There are many inmates who stayed long in prison but remained non-gang members, and there are inmates who stayed in jail for a short time but joined the number.
DISCLAIMER: Submission published as received
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