
Prison journalism: From maximum to redemption: A journey of change and reflectionWesley Leong was incarcerated at the age of 15 in 1996 at Pollsmoor Prison. He is currently part of Restore's research and reintegration project.
by Wesley Leong
18-09-2023 12:42
in Prison Journalism
Wesley Leong was incarcerated at the age of 15 in 1996 at Pollsmoor Prison. He is currently part of Restore's research and reintegration project.
Image by unsplash
In this new article, I would like to share the repercussions I had to endure before I left the medium-security facility and all the difficulties I still go through after leaving prison.
--
Life Behind Bars: Maximum Security When I left the maximum-security facility to meet him, the facility felt very strange to me. The bus that took us from the prison had to stop about three times. Upon my arrival in the medium-security facility, I was issued an orange uniform to wear. I was used to wearing a red uniform, and the difference struck me immediately. The sunlight, the blue sky, the white clouds, the green grass, and the trees around me all felt very strange. You can imagine how hard it was for me to look into the sky; the sun was too bright, but I was grateful nonetheless. I took a step closer to getting home after my intermission and basically went to the cells.
ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: How Sticks escaped from prison to go to his mother's funeral
Transitioning to Medium-Security The setup in medium-security was completely different from maximum security. It was a different environment with different inmates and different protocols. The cells were a lot smaller, and there were windows. The lights went off at night, which was a blessing. My experience with violence in medium security was much less severe than in maximum security. I was wrong to assume that. The violence in maximum security was more drastic.
--
During my time in maximum security, I was constantly in single cells. I had a reputation for stabbing and fighting, and I almost got charged again for attempted murder while inside prison. My daily routine consisted of waking up in the morning and going to my usual spot to collect my knife for protection before the guards even opened the gates for breakfast. Then, I would proceed to the early morning greeting for the new arrivals, called sico. I would be on standby for my sergeant, and he would ask if everything was alright and if there were any issues out of the norm. After that, I would get breakfast and see what was on our agenda for the day. If there were any numbers involved, I had to defend my position as a member of the gang.
ALSO READ: Prison journalism: How a pen helped me escape prison
A Violent Turn of Events One morning, as usual, things took a turn for the worse. All of a sudden, a fight broke out, involving members of different gangs, and before I knew it, it was chaos. People were getting stabbed, including inmates, correctional officers, and cooks. It was madness. I recall stabbing two people that day, and by evening, I was laying in my bed, thinking about what had transpired throughout the day. I couldn't bring myself to sleep, knowing that I had caused pain and death to one inmate.
--
By the morning, I was summoned to the head of the prison's office. He wanted to discuss yesterday's events and whether I was involved in any of the stabbings. One inmate had died, and another was seriously injured. He also mentioned my history and my prior record, implying that he believed I was involved. I told him the truth, that I had no involvement in any of the stabbings. He made it clear that there would be an internal investigation, and the truth would come to light.
During the internal investigation, they questioned witnesses and anyone with information. A reward was offered, and one inmate decided to tell the police that I was involved in the stabbing of the two people. I was questioned repeatedly by the police, who claimed they had evidence of my involvement. I asked to see the evidence, but nothing came of it.
My brother took it upon himself to deal with the inmate who had informed the police of my involvement. When I look back on it now, where I am in life, I realize I would not have agreed to the consequences and the repercussions that the inmates had to endure. The one who got stabbed, thank God he's out today. I speak with him frequently on Facebook. As for the one who passed away, I tried to make retribution and console with the family after I was released from prison.
ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: From Despair to Redemption: My journey through prison and parole
Reflection and Redemption Sometimes in life, we are put in positions where we have to do things we don't want to do, things that make us uncomfortable, things that cause pain, hurt, and sometimes death. I live my life outside now, and I try my hardest to stay away from any form of violence. I respect life itself. Thank you for reading my article.
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.
If you have any questions you would like to ask our prison journalists, WhatsApp us on 060 011 0211.
Do you have contact with a prison inmate who would like to write for The South African website? If so, send an email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
You can also follow @TheSAnews on Twitter and The South African on Facebook to get the latest prison journalism articles.
Are you a KAIZER CHIEFS fan? Click here
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
11/07/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH, July 11, 2025 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 11 producers chosen for its annual Producers Labs, returning to Ucross Fou...
11/07/2025
If you've ever wondered what might be playing in Clark Kent's headphones...
11/07/2025
L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert and General Manager of L3Harris Waco facility Sean Ling held a ce...
11/07/2025
ARLINGTON, Va. WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, has launched WETA+, a new streaming service tailored for the local Washingt...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission has emerged as one of the central players in the broadcast TV landscape in 2025, with its deregulatory policies sparking h...
11/07/2025
Calrec will introduce usability, customization and system enhancements across its entire range of Argo consoles during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterda...
11/07/2025
LONDON Encompass Digital Media said it will support live and on-demand viewing of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup across multiple global regions for sports enterta...
11/07/2025
Two-thirds of broadcast engineers reaped the benefits of a pay raise within the last year....
11/07/2025
CARY, N.C. SmallHD has launched the Quantum 27, a new 26.5-inch Quantum-Dot OLED monitor designed to deliver postproduction image quality in a compact, set-frie...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau and Tegna have entered into a consent decree that will settle an investigation into the accidenta...
11/07/2025
WASHINGTON Following news in early July that Paramount had settled President Donald Trump's lawsuit, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luj n (D-N...
11/07/2025
Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbe...
11/07/2025
Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks ...
11/07/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Client...
11/07/2025
2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transit...
11/07/2025
A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP Leaders from the HuskerVision and Lawo share their IP learnings By SVG Staff
Friday, July 1...
11/07/2025
CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimble...
11/07/2025
Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Too Hot to Handle: Italy Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalItaly
Link copied to clipboard
July 11, 20...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Will Release Death Inc. Seasons 1, 2 and 3
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Season 1
Season 2
Se...
11/07/2025
AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration launches two papers to guide the future of AI integration, today at the AI for Good Global Summit
The...
11/07/2025
Ceramics - the humble mix of earth, fire and artistry - have been part of a global conversation for millennia.
From Tang Dynasty trade routes to Renaissance pa...
10/07/2025
The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...
10/07/2025
Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stag...
10/07/2025
This is not a drill: Oasis is back on the road-marking its first live performanc...
10/07/2025
The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft...
10/07/2025
NEW YORK - July 10, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, today announced that it appointed Richard Pacheco as head of ...
10/07/2025
Local newscasts don't exist in a vacuum. News directors and station management constantly evaluate what's working, what isn't and perhaps most impor...
10/07/2025
Lawo has announced that Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien, HdM) has comprehensively modernized its central recording studio after selecting an I...
10/07/2025
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has opened early-bird registration for the Media Technology Summit, which will take place in a ne...
10/07/2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. TNDV Television has launched Aspiration 35, a new version of its 40-foot Aspiration truck reimagined for cinematic multicamera productions....
10/07/2025
BURBANK, Calif. Key Code Education, a provider of instructor-led postproduction training, is growing its curriculum with new programs for beginner and intermedi...
10/07/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. Actus Digital will demonstrate how broadcasters can transform compliance monitoring from a necessary expense into a strategic revenue driver at...
10/07/2025
The Federal Register has published a summary of the Federal Communications Commission's Public Notice seeking comments on its ownership rules that lists a d...
10/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for SuperestarPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
10 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard...
10/07/2025
In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often strugg...
10/07/2025
As one of the world's largest emerging markets, Indonesia is making strides toward its Golden 2045 Vision - an initiative tapping digital technologies and...
10/07/2025
10 Jul 2025
VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing Kyiv, New York, Dubai, and Philadelphia - July 10, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq:...
10/07/2025
5G for all? What the DFL's use of Easy5G and RefCam could mean for events in...
10/07/2025
Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-...
10/07/2025
Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New...
10/07/2025
Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions I...
10/07/2025
FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First P...
10/07/2025
SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint...
10/07/2025
Thursday 10 July 2025
The Very Small Creatures
Jaime's Treetop Tales
Emerald
BooSnoo! Christmas Mashup
Pip & Posy's Spooktacular Party
The Very Sm...
10/07/2025
Thursday 10 July 2025
Brand new rewards are coming to Sky customers, with free ...