South Africa: Hope for Prisoners


Overview


Bible Society Australia is working with World Hope Ministries to offer hope with God’s powerful word in South African prisons. The objective of this project is for prisoners to engage with the Scriptures, as Bible Society provides Bibles to graduates of the Bible Discipleship course.

South Africa has the world’s twelfth highest number of prisoners, outranking countries with nearly five times its population. There are a total of 235 operationally active prisons in South Africa, with over 164,000 prisoners. The prison population remains overwhelmingly overcrowded, with more than 45,000 inmates without proper accommodation.

Most of the prisoners have never owned a Bible and have a great need to hear the transformative message of God’s love.

In addition to this, there’s an opportunity to reach out to Department of Correctional Services (DCS) Officials, who experience many challenges and among whom there is a high suicide rate.

Statistics 

  • 235 operationally active prisons in South Africa, with over 164,000 prisoners
  • 45,000+ prison inmates without proper accommodation in South Africa  

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