Prison Journalism: From Despair to Redemption: My journey through prison and parole

Prison Journalism: From Despair to Redemption: My journey through prison and paroleDean Mashimbwe, a Zimbabwean migrant residing in Cape Town, was incarcerated at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre from 2016 until 2017.

by Dean Mashimbwe

13-09-2023 16:06

in Prison Journalism

Prison. Image: Unsplash

I remember when I was sentenced for almost 2 years Being in prison for that long, I thought my dreams were shattered, and I had no future, especially in a foreign land.

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MEETING WITH JAMES FROM ZIMBABWE One day we were in a cell when the wardens brought new offenders into our cell. Amongst those offenders, there was James; he was from Zimbabwe. I approached him and started talking to him.

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That's when I discovered he was from Zimbabwe. He had been arrested for shoplifting; his sentence was 3 months. I told him my whole story, and he promised that as soon as he got out of prison, he would sign parole for me. But I didn't take it seriously because I thought it was just prison stories.

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COPING WITH PRISON LIFE I was working as a visit cleaner, so I had a lot of benefits and privileges, which were being loved by offenders, especially the gangsters. I started using all that to protect myself from physical abuse because violence is the order of the day in prison.

I remember one day a new offender came into our cell, he had a 28 tattoo on his shoulder, but he was not a gangster. He

was asked by other gangsters why he had a tattoo but was not a gangster, and he couldn't answer.

They beat him with a lock, which they put inside socks. He started to bleed until the prison wardens were alerted, so I used to protect myself from being attacked.

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POSITIVE LESSONS FROM MY INCARCERATION Prison will never be a good place at all, but there are a lot of positive things I have learned during the time I was in prison.

I learned that when people are facing the same situation, the situation forces them to unite and build trust. Gangsters are like brothers, they trust each other, and they never betray each other.

Once you betray another brother, your punishment is waiting for you. The solidarity among gangsters is so strong, although violence is the main thing.

We used to have leisure time playing football, it was a nice time for someone who is locked up. We used to have time to rethink our lives when we were alone, and we learned how to reform through courses like Restorative Justice. There were people from outside who would come and teach us.

THE PATH TO PAROLE AND FREEDOM It happened that the parole board called a meeting so that they could meet me. I was told my sentence was 15 months, but I was going to do only 7 months if I could submit a valid address, which was going to be verified, and if someone could sign a parole for me.

That's when James, whom I mentioned earlier, came in. Now when he left after finishing his sentence, he left the address where he was staying. The address was verified, and that's how I got my parole and went out of prison.

Should you wish to assist in the rehabilitation of former inmates and help put money into the pockets of those who have struggled to earn a living during and after incarceration, click HERE

DISCLAIMER: Submission published as received

RESTORE is an NGO based in Cape Town, South Africa, providing inmates at Pollsmoor Prison with restorative justice opportunities.

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