A cell in the Mangaung Prison for two inmates. The management and treatment of inmates in the prison is specified in a contract signed with the private company. The prison has a total of 495 staff members, 85% of whom are from the historically disadvantaged group. The recruitment and training of staff, including security personnel is the responsibility of the company. The government however, stations a senior official from the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to ensure that the prison management administers the prison in accordance with the contract. In terms of the contract, the prison management cannot release a prisoner. The management is not supposed to be engaged in community corrections, must not use force on the prisoners and cannot grant parole. The company is liable to pay a hefty fine in case a prisoner escapes. The management is required to provide the prisoners with skills and education – both formal and vocational. The contract also specifies that every prisoner must be engaged in at least 40 hours of activity a week. To meet these and other conditions in the contract, the prison provides skills development in woodwork, steel work, shoe making, candle making, garment making, horticulture, gardening, leatherwork, office machine operation and basic skills in business, home care, cleaning, etc. Most of the vocational training last between 4–7 years. There is a well-stocked library with reading space for a handful of prisoners. Recreational activities are provided and both indoor and outdoor activities are encouraged. The following sporting disciplines are therefore provided: football, rugby, volleyball, table tennis, running, soft ball, cricket etc. The prison has a modern hospital with three full time doctors, 18 nurses, 4 auxiliary nurses, 1 psychologist and 2 pharmacists. All the prisoners are sent to the prison by the Department of Correctional Services and the prison management does not have a say in the type of prisoners they receive. All the prisoners are serving long sentences from 10 years to life imprisonment. These are the prisoners referred to in the South African penal jargon as 24 Special Rapporteur on Prisons Mission to South Africa 14 – 30 June 2004