Where Pistorius Will Go If He Goes to Jail

Double-amputee will do his time in hospital wing of 'tough' South African prison
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2014 12:09 PM CDT
Where Pistorius Will Go If He Goes to Jail
Oscar Pistorius at the end of the fourth day of sentencing proceedings in Pretoria, South Africa, on Oct. 16, 2014.   (AP Photo/Alon Skuy, Pool)

During the fourth day of his sentencing hearing today, Oscar Pistorius heard more details about where he'll end up if he gets jail time for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp: the hospital section of "one of South Africa's toughest prisons," Reuters reports. Pretoria Central Prison—which has a rep for being a gang and murder/rape haven—was the execution site of black political activists, and once housed an apartheid advocate and assassin known as "Prime Evil." A prison service worker questioned today says it will work for Pistorius due to his double-amputee status and the facility's accommodations for the disabled.

Pistorius' defense team has been trying to keep him out of jail, with one witness claiming "prison would 'break'" him due to his disability and psychological stress. The 35-year veteran of the prison system who testified today countered that by saying that "the Department of Correctional Services is ready to admit and detain people with disabilities" and that Pistorius would have his own cell and appropriate accommodations—even though he admitted there's only one resident doctor per 7,000 inmates. He was also interrogated about a prison tuberculosis problem. (More Oscar Pistorius stories.)

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