True or false? Correctional Services responds to ‘Professor Break-in’ Pollsmoor story

One might be forgiven for thinking the story about a man breaking into Pollsmoor Prison to access free education, and to be with his inmate friends, is yet another example of “Only in SA”.

Let’s face it: In South Africa life is often stranger than fiction with the daring escapades of convicted Facebook rapist and conman Thabo Bester while behind bars in Bloemfontein’s Mangaung Correctional Centre being a case in point.

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Free education at Pollsmoor Prison?

This week, Bona Magazine reported that a man from Cape Town had “broken into” Cape Town’s notorious Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison to access free education and hang out with his friends who are inmates.

The article further said that the man, who has been dubbed “Professor Break-in” on social media, has been “doing this for two full years without being noticed”, qualifying as an engineer “without student debt”.

Pollsmoor Prison security breach ‘entirely fictitious’

Responding to the outlandish claims, Department of Correctional Services (DCS) spokesperson  Euné Oelofsen told The Citizen that the story was “entirely fictitious”.

“The publication of such a satirical article falsely claiming that an individual successfully broke into Pollsmoor to access free education and vocational training, is concerning and totally unnecessary,” Oelofsen said.

“We categorically state that this story is entirely fictitious and does not reflect reality in any way.

“The security of correctional facilities is a matter of national importance and fabricating or trivialising security breaches is both irresponsible and unhelpful.”

Stringent security protocols

She explained that Pollsmoor Prison – like all other correctional facilities in the country – operates under stringent security protocols designed to prevent unauthorised entry and exit.

“The notion that an individual could repeatedly access a correctional centre undetected is not only implausible but also undermines the integrity of the correctional system and the dedication of our officials.”

According to the DCS spokesperson, for any person to be admitted into a correctional facility, a J7 form (warrant of detention) must be submitted for processing.

ALSO READ: Two senior Goodwood prison officials among six charged for Zimbabwean inmate’s ‘soft life’ video

Inmates only

“While the department remains committed to rehabilitation through education and skills development,
these programmes are specifically designed to equip offenders with the tools to reintegrate into
society upon release – not as an alternative education system for the general public.”

Oelofsen urged the public to exercise caution and verify information before “sharing misleading content that may cause unnecessary confusion or alarm”.

ALSO READ: Breaking bad: Prisons minister revokes parole of Alison Botha’s attackers in historic move

Sick, lonely man begs authorities to be in prison

Oddity Central reported in 2023 on the sad case of ex-convict Justo Márquez from Granada, Spain.

The 60-year-old Spanish man, who claimed to be desperately lonely and suffering from serious health issues, begged prison authorities to be let into a state prison because he didn’t want to commit any more crimes.

‘Stop being lonely 24 hours of the day’

Márquez reportedly stood outside the Alhaurín de la Torre Prison in Malaga for days, hoping to be allowed inside.

He was photographed holding a homemade sandwich board sign that read “I want to go to prison” and told journalists that the prison warden denied his voluntary incarceration.

Márquez, who allegedly suffers from cancer, depression, anxiety and heart problems, said at the time that he was desperate to “stop being lonely 24 hours a day” and that prison was his best bet to get treatment and company.

Lonely and elderly: Japanese women ‘choose’ to stay in prison

In Japan, the notion of life behind bars being preferrable to living in poverty and loneliness in the outside world, has become prevalent over the past few years.

According to a CNN report, some elderly Japanese women are struggling to cope with poverty and loneliness, prompting them to commit petty crimes.

Inside prison, they get regular meals, free healthcare and elderly care – along with the companionship they lack on the outside.

Across Japan, the number of prisoners aged 65 or older nearly quadrupled from 2003 to 2022, changing the nature of incarceration.

Increasing number of white-haired inmates

In chronicling the plight of white-haired inmates at the Tochigi Women’s Prison located north of Tokyo, the publication spoke to one of the prison guards, Takayoshi Shiranaga.

“There are people who come here because it’s cold, or because they’re hungry,” he explained.

Those who fall ill “can get free medical treatment while they are in prison, but once they leave, they have to pay for it themselves, so some people want to stay here as long as possible”.

‘It feels more like a nursing home than a prison’

He added that the pervasive problem is “so acute for some elderly prisoners that they’d prefer to stay incarcerated”.

“Now we have to change their [inmates] diapers, help them bathe, eat,” Shiranaga said.

“At this point, it feels more like a nursing home than a prison full of convicted criminals.”