On February 14, 2013, Judge Masipa convicted Oscar Pistorius, an olympic and paralympic track star, of culpable homicide in the killing of Reeva Steenkamp. Ms. Steenkamp was a 29 year old law graduate and model who had been dating Mr Pistorius. However, there is a debate on wether Mr Pistorius should serve his sentence under home arrest, or at the South African prisons. The South African Prisons have been called overcrowded, harsh, and are dominated by gangs.
Oscar Pistorius will most likely stay in a hospital wing if sentenced to a prison. The hospital section contains five wards, 22 rooms, and one bath and one shower per ward. Zach Modise, the acting head of South Africa’s correctional services, also testified that the country's prisons contained single-cell accommodation, vocational training, health care, sports facilities and gyms and that they were well equipped for disabled people. However, Mr. Modise declined to guarantee that Oscar Pistorius would be placed in a hospital wing if sentenced to prison.
However, if Oscar Pistorius is sentenced to a prison sentence and is not placed in a hospital wing, he would have to face the overpopulated, harsh and unhealthy environments of South African prisons that are also dominated by gangs. The environment would also be unsuitable for him in his disabled state that requires special health care. It has also been reported that one of the most notorious prison gang leaders threatened to "take him out" even if Oscar Pistorius was a very wealthy individual.
Although the harsh prison environments may not be ideal to the disabled Oscar Pistorius, it is only fair that he is punished just as fairly as others for committing such a heinous crime. Even if he is not placed in a hospital wing, it is only fair that he is sentenced to prison just as if any other "ordinary" individual would be punished despite the potential dangers of the prison gangs residing there. This is something Oscar Pistorius must deal with as a consequence for committing this inhuman, foul crime.
Websites:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-sentencing-hearing.html?ref=world&_r=0
http://online.wsj.com/articles/oscar-pistorius-to-remain-in-hospital-wing-if-sentenced-to-jail-time-1413457391
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/jail-threats-revealed-oscar-pistorius-sentencing-hearing-article-1.1976215
I agree with your point, even though Oscar is disabled and is possibly in danger he should still have to go to prison and face the same treatment as others that have created such heinous a crime. I have heard stories about prison gangs beating up inmates who have been charged with molestation. This is just prison life, Oscar should not have even committed the crime in the first place, but he did, and now he must pay the price in prison. Although, I don't believe that he should be killed, so there should still be wards watching out for him because someone had threatened to "take him out".
ReplyDeleteOscar Pistorius may be a great athlete and all, but he needs to be in prison, no matter the type of ward. What difference does it make, he is not in a position to be preferring one ward over the standard prison. He murdered his girlfriend. Murder. In reality, he is probably worst than most of the people in the prison.
ReplyDeleteLike Justin said, such is prison life. It's a scary and unwelcoming place.But for the unforgivable crimes he committed, he has to be in prison.