Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Prison Journalism: Remand v. Sentenced

09/02/2024

Prison Journalism: Remand v. SentencedDean Mashimbwe, a Zimbabwean migrant residing in Cape Town, was incarcerated at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre from 2016 until 2017.

by Dean Mashimbwe

09-02-2024 09:31

in Prison Journalism

Prison Image by Unsplash

As someone who went to prison both on remand and as a sentenced inmate, in this article, I would like to emphasize the differences between being on remand and being a sentenced or a convicted inmate.

--

Understanding Remand A remand prisoner is someone who hasn't been found guilty of an offence and is not yet sentenced. Being found guilty is also called being convicted, and then you are sentenced. You can also be on remand if you have been found guilty; you are only waiting to be sentenced. If you are a remand prisoner, the prison keeps you until your next court appearance.

My Experience with Remand Also, remand is the detention of an accused offender by a court as you wait for your date when you can get your sentence. In 2016, when I went to prison, I was sent to remand as I waited for the detective to investigate my case and to verify my address to see if I was eligible for bail.

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: Recreation and rehabilitation in jail

--

Differences in Treatment: Remand vs Sentenced Inmates The biggest difference between inmates on remand and those who are sentenced, for instance, when we were in Pollsmoor, is inmates on remand are allowed to wear their clothes, but those who are long on trial wear yellow uniforms, but sentenced prisoners in Pollsmoor in medium A, which is for juveniles, we used to wear navy blue uniforms, while in medium B, they wear orange.

The Reality of Remand According to my own experience, I would say inmates on remand in maximum prison are the main attention of the prison; that's where gangsterism activities are mainly performed, smuggling of drugs, marijuana, and mobile phones. The inmates in remand are too overcrowded, and violence is the order of the day. I was in remand myself but not at maximum prison; I was at the juvenile section when I was assaulted because I had refused to wash the clothes of a gang member. With the things that I saw, I can say you are more likely to survive better in prison as a convicted prisoner than being on remand.

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: The Rat Game - Life

--

Visitation Differences Even the visiting days for sentenced prisoners are different from those on remand. In Pollsmoor, sentenced prisoners have their certain day allocated for their visits, while those in remand are allowed to have visitors every day as they will also be visited by their lawyers.

Mental Impact of Remand vs Sentencing The mentality you have as a sentenced inmate and the sentence you have as an inmate in remand is so different because if you are sentenced, you know your fate; you know your future, that you are serving your sentence. When you complete it, you go home, but when you are on remand, you are always stressful; you don't know if you are going home or not; you don't know how much sentence you are going to be given. As someone who experienced it, I would not want to be in remand again; being in remand in Pollsmoor Prison is a terrible experience, especially at the maximum section; that's where the whole action is taking place. Due to violence, inmates are forced to join gangsterism to protect themselves.

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: Religion in Prison

Privileges of Sentenced Inmates When you are sentenced as an inmate, you got more privilege than someone in remand; you might get work in prison when you see the parole board to reduce prison stress; you may attend programs. The time will be moving fast because you are not thinking too much, unlike when you are on remand.

I can conclude that if you are sentenced, you permanently belong to the prison, unlike on remand; you have the big chances of going home at any time, either by bail or by being given a suspended sentence. But when you are sentenced, you have to wait until your sentence is finished, unless if you get parole.

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: The New Year's impact on inmates' perspectives

DISCLAIMER: Submission published as received

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

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.

Support Women in Journalism in 2024 - Support us to fund independent women journalism
LINK: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/prison-journalism/prison-journ...
See more stories from thesouthafrican

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: How OBS is Utilizing Audio QC at the First Winter Games to Use Immersive Sound

Audio quality control (QC) is becoming ever more crucial for Olympic Broadcastin...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: OBS Demonstrates its Commitment to an Inclusive Sports Media Landscape

The Olympic Games are not only a showcase of athletic excellence, they are also ...

18/02/2026

Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Headlines Netflix's First Live MMA Event

Netflix is entering the MMA game with a matchup between two of the biggest names ever to compete on the women's side. Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix ...

18/02/2026

Network18 Media & Investments Selects Grass Valley's Playout X to Power Unified News Operations

Grass Valley announces that Network18 Media & Investments Ltd., one of India'...

18/02/2026

Cobalt Digital Products Receive IPMX Product Certification Following Inaugural Testing Event

Cobalt Digital Inc., a designer and manufacturer of video and audio conversion, ...

18/02/2026

Channel Nine's Wide World of Sports Hits Livigno; XR From North Sydney Drives Coverage

Production is divided between a studio in the mountains and a brand-new studio i...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: Focusing in on the Parabolic' Sound of Skis on Snow at NBC Sports

At the Winter Games IBC in Milan, NBC Sports and Olympics' director of audio...

18/02/2026

2026 Milano Cortina Women's Alpine Photo Gallery

The Women's Alpine events at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Center, about a 10-minute drive from Cortina d'Ampezzo, featured some of the most exciting Olympic...

18/02/2026

Generated in the Italian Alps, NBC's Olympics Audio Is Mixed in Stamford

At the Broadcast Center, 14 audio-control rooms handle the sound in a complex routing and processing regimen We are exactly where we want to be, Karl Malone,...

18/02/2026

Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium Photo Gallery

With 300 hours of curling competition in two weeks, it's a safe bet that even the most curling-hungry fan will be satiated. It also requires a production te...

18/02/2026

Cortina Sliding Center Two-Man Bobsleigh Photo Gallery

Always seen as one of the more crazy Olympic events, Bobsleigh is a sport in which athletes must have nerves of steel and pilots must navigate high-tech sleds...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: Inside the Milan-Based Warner Bros. Discovery Casa Italia Studio with Eurosport

A typical Winter Olympics day - or should I say evening - inside the Warner Bros...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: How NOS is Delivering a Speed Skating-First Feed for Dutch Audiences

The Netherlands has dominated Milan's ice rinks, scooping six speed skating ...

18/02/2026

NBC Sports Sets Its Own Record With Olympics Comms

At the Broadcast Center in Stamford, three discrete intercom systems combine into a centralized infrastructure Into the second week of Milan Cortina 2026, eigh...

18/02/2026

Deloitte Releases 2026 Global Sports Industry Outlook

AI is reshaping operations, capital is scaling ownership, sports are converging with media and entertainment, and venues are evolving into year-round platforms...

18/02/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: DNA Inc.'s Thomas Engel on Evolving Digital Experiences and the Power of In-House Collaboration

DNA Inc. specializes in crafting next level digital experiences in the Media, St...

18/02/2026

Copyright Issues Are a Crack in the Ice for Olympic Figure Skating

Conflicts have increased, but so have solutions, driven chiefly by pragmatism and the threat of AI music The only persons on the Figure Skating ice at the 2026...

18/02/2026

Canada's CBC Navigates Multi-Zone Winter Olympics With Bi-Lingual Production Model, Remote Studios, and Custom Content Hubs

Canadian rightsholder deploys its most complex setup at an Olympics ever with ...

18/02/2026

Live From Stamford: NBC Sports Broadcast Center Is Anchor Point of the Entire Olympic Broadcast'

A crew of 1,685 people and 13 control rooms produce nearly every on-air minute f...

18/02/2026

Bad Bunny to Make History in Tokyo With First-Ever Billions Club Live Performance in Asia

Following an extraordinary 2025 in which he was named Spotify's Global Top A...

18/02/2026

Bad Bunny har historia en Tokio con el primer Billions Club Live en Asia

Despu s de un extraordinario 2025 en el que fue nombrado Top Artista Global de Spotify por cuarta vez, algo sin precedentes (y tras su presentaci n en el halfti...

18/02/2026

SBS brings Australians together to mark Ramadan and Eid with communities nationwide

SBS brings Australians together to mark Ramadan and Eid with communities nationw...

18/02/2026

L3Harris Secures Full-Rate Production Contract for US Navy Submarine Communication Systems

The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775) underway....

18/02/2026

TV Viewing Hits 12-Month High

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

SinclairLaunches New True Crime Daily Video Podcast

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

E! Co-Founder Alan Mruvka Launches Filmology Labs Studios

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

Stephen Colbert, FCC Commissioner Gomez Blast FCC 'Censorship'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

NBA All-Star Game Averages 8.8 Million Viewers

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

Speed - Innovation - LEDs - Whitaker ASC and Verbinski Di...

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die in theaters February 2026 Photo courtesy of Graham Bartholomew, SMPSP James Whitaker, ASC reunited with visionary director G...

18/02/2026

TAG Video Systems Expands MCS With New Lens Visualization...

TAG Video Systems has expanded its Media Control System (MCS) version 1.7.0 release with Lens, a visual service health analysis interface that organizes monitor...

18/02/2026

Teradek Introduces RF-X Revolutionizing Mission-Critical...

Teradek, a global leader in advanced video transmission technology, today announced the launch of RF-X Auto Switcher, a revolutionary appliance designed to deli...

18/02/2026

DP Adolpho Veloso Captures Train Dreams with ZEISS Super...

Train Dreams. (L-R) Director of Photography Adolpho Veloso and Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier on the set of Train Dreams. Cr. Daniel Schaefer/BBP Train Dreams...

18/02/2026

Cerberus Tech Expands Livelinks Multi-Cloud Capabilities...

Cerberus Tech, a leader in cloud-native IP video contribution and distribution, today announced the addition of Akamai Cloud as a supported infrastructure optio...

18/02/2026

ORTC deploys Synamedia Quortex Link for IP channel distri...

Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that Office de Radio et T l vision des Comores (ORTC), the national public broadcaster for the Comor...

18/02/2026

Netflix Opens New Office in Mexico City

Back to All News Netflix Opens New Office in Mexico CityFrom left to right: Francisco Ramos, Vice President of Content for Latin America; Manola Zabalza, Secre...

18/02/2026

February 17, 2026

Calibr-Skaggs and Kainomyx launch collaboration to pioneer novel malaria treatments Partnering to speed up the discovery of new malaria drugs that target parasi...

17/02/2026

Eutelsat, Viewsat Renew Capacity Agreements to Support Development of Broadcast Market in MENA Region

Eutelsat announces the renewal of multiple capacity agreements with Viewsat, rei...

17/02/2026

The Evolution of Communications in Cloud Era of Global Broadcasting

At Milano Cortina 2026, one statistic stood out across industry reporting: 70% of global signal distribution is now happening over public cloud. What began as e...

17/02/2026

CP Communications Supports the Big Game Broadcast for 27 Years

CP Communications provided broadcast support for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif. at Levi's Stadium, marking 27 years of working around the Big Game. Th...

17/02/2026

NBC Sports Graphics Team Goes Onsite, Embraces L.A. Motif for NBA All-Star

Street-level images of iconic Los Angeles landmarks are incorporated into the regular-season look With NBC Sports just months into its return to NBA coverage a...

17/02/2026

Jimpa Asks You to Choose Love

Sophie Hyde and John Lithgow backstage during the premiere of Jimpa. (Photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...

17/02/2026

The 19th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs19) Nominees Announced

Johannesburg, 17 February 2026 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), ...

17/02/2026

L3Harris Marks Delivery of 3 Million Fuzes to US Army

A Green Beret hangs a 60mm mortar round from a M225A mortar system on a live-fire range. (Photo credit: U.S. Army)...

17/02/2026

The AI Wild West, and Why it Needs a Sheriff

AI Is Scaling Faster Than Governance And That's a Risk AI adoption hasn't rolled out through neat transformation programmes. It has spread organically...

17/02/2026

TV Viewing Hits 12-Month High in Nielsen's January Report of The Gauge

Cable Surges 9% on Strength of College Football Playoffs and News, while NFL Delivers Top 15 Broadcast Telecasts ESPN (+86%) and FOX News Channel (+17%) Combin...