However, the abolition of the death penalty and corporal punishment (seen in the past by a larger sector of society as some form of justice) with the coming of the new democratic dispensation, has tended to send the victims of crimes and the communities far removed from the traditional justice system where the State claims to represent and speak on behalf of the victims. At the same time, the high crime rate and the appalling level of poverty amongst the people (especially those who commit crimes) cast a very dark shadow on restorative justice as an alternative in present day South Africa. It however, remains an area for much research and debate. ii) Office of the Inspecting Judge (See The Judicial Inspectorate of Prisons under the section dealing with Institutions consulted) J. Best practices of other countries The management of prisoners in South Africa is an unenviable tsak especially as it is a complex society. Throughout the world, different communities have developed strategies to manage prisons and prisoners as best as they can to remain firm, but fair and just. Ethiopia presents a unique system of prison management which needs to be researched and explored further. In Ethiopia, Prison management is done through the Prisoners’ Committees. The Prisoners’ Committees – the Ethiopian experience In all the prisons in Ethiopia, there are Prisoners’ Committees. (See Annex VI for the Structure of the Prisoners’ Committee in the Addis Ababa Prison). The Prison is divided into three levels – cells, zones and compounds, with the cell being the smallest unit and the compound the largest unit within the prison. The Committees are established at all three levels of the prison structure – Cells, Zones and Compounds. At each level, prisoners elect representatives for each committee. Taking the Addis Ababa prison as an example, the prison has a main committee structure for the whole prison (compound). The prison is divided into six Zones. Each Zone has various committees. The zones are further divided into cells and each cell has its own committees. There is thus a hierarchical organisation of committees from the cell to the compound level, with representatives being elected by the prisoners themselves at each level – from the cell to the main committee. There are usually ten committees at each level. This arrangement is reproduced in all the prisons. However, depending on the size of the prison population, a prison might choose not to have all the committees at all the levels of the prison structure. The cell is the smallest unit in the Prisoners’ Committee structure. Depending on the size of the cell, each cell has its own administrative structure made up of committees. The smaller the cell, the fewer will be the number of inmates and the fewer will be the number of Committees from the cell. Members of each cell elect from amongst the prisoners in that cell, members of the various committees who would manage their affairs and ensure the proper behaviour and wellbeing of all the prisoners in the cell. 60