Young and in Prison
Until the end of apartheid and the birth of the 'New South Africa' there was no juvenile justice system. But on an abandoned apartheid-era army base on the outskirts of Cape Town, children as young as 12 years old convicted or awaiting trial on charges of drug possession, assault, theft, rape and murder are imprisoned. The youth detention centre takes advantage of the austere barracks and sprawling grounds to host classes, arts, and sports.
But with much of the teenage population there being repeat offenders, there are clearly deeper societal issues that keep pulling these kids back into the gates of places like this. Western Cape province has some of the worst gang prevalence in the country. The most entrenched gangs' origin stories go back to the forced relocations of Blacks and Coloured families in keeping with apartheid policies.
Although about half of Western Cape province identifies as Coloured, the overwhelming majority of those in the criminal justice system are Coloured, the ethnic group positioned uneasily between the economically powerful Whites and the politically and numerically dominant Black populations. Western Cape province is the one part of the country where Coloureds are the majority, but in addition to being plagued by the poverty that afflicts Africans as well, there is an issue
In many ways the young men are still kids, tearing out pages from magazines to stick on their walls and competing fiercely in football and rugby. One, an aspiring opera singer, was regularly allowed to leave to take classes at the University of Cape Town. It was a privilege that at times made him a target of his fellow prisoners, but usually worked in his favor. For those without such talents or the focus to find new passions or at least new distractions, nearby Pollsmor Prison, former home of Nelson Mandela, is ready to take in those young men who prove too much for the juvenile system.
Here graffiti on the train from central Cape Town to the detention center reads: "I'm losing my friends in a hurry… They relocating to the cemetery!!"
The center is almost completely empty while the boys are in classes.
A boy walks to his room in the foreground as the cooks rest between meals at a youth detention center in Cape Town.
The detention center is located on an abandoned apartheid-era military base. Air raid sirens mark the beginning and end of their classes and activities.
Western Cape Province, where the detention center is located, offers an array of forests, mountains and beaches, a stark contrast to the detention center.
Donated jerseys allow the boys to play soccer in even better equipment than they would on the outside.
As in 'real' prison, much of the day is empty and unstructured. The boys enjoy working out to break the monotony.
Graffiti chronicles one child's four-year stay.
A boy tires of another's teasing and prepares to fight.
Three boys pose for a portrait.
A resident takes advantage of higher ground to gaze at the world beyond the compound's gates.
The "transit room" where boys who have broken rules, ranging from smoking weed and crystal meth ("tic") to attempting suicide, are kept until they're deemed ready to join the group.
Between the rows of dormitories, or hostels, that house the boys.
Lining up between activities allows staff to keep track of the boys and keep order.
The boys at the detention center range in age from 11 to 17 years old.
One of the boys is training to be an opera singer, spending one day a week taking classes at a nearby university.
In Western Cape Province, Coloureds make up a plurality of the population, and so also dominate its criminal justice system.
Young and in Prison
Until the end of apartheid and the birth of the 'New South Africa' there was no juvenile justice system. But on an abandoned apartheid-era army base on the outskirts of Cape Town, children as young as 12 years old convicted or awaiting trial on charges of drug possession, assault, theft, rape and murder are imprisoned. The youth detention centre takes advantage of the austere barracks and sprawling grounds to host classes, arts, and sports.
But with much of the teenage population there being repeat offenders, there are clearly deeper societal issues that keep pulling these kids back into the gates of places like this. Western Cape province has some of the worst gang prevalence in the country. The most entrenched gangs' origin stories go back to the forced relocations of Blacks and Coloured families in keeping with apartheid policies.
Although about half of Western Cape province identifies as Coloured, the overwhelming majority of those in the criminal justice system are Coloured, the ethnic group positioned uneasily between the economically powerful Whites and the politically and numerically dominant Black populations. Western Cape province is the one part of the country where Coloureds are the majority, but in addition to being plagued by the poverty that afflicts Africans as well, there is an issue
In many ways the young men are still kids, tearing out pages from magazines to stick on their walls and competing fiercely in football and rugby. One, an aspiring opera singer, was regularly allowed to leave to take classes at the University of Cape Town. It was a privilege that at times made him a target of his fellow prisoners, but usually worked in his favor. For those without such talents or the focus to find new passions or at least new distractions, nearby Pollsmor Prison, former home of Nelson Mandela, is ready to take in those young men who prove too much for the juvenile system.