Prisons have been a major player in all countries with a history of tyrannical regimes, as people who attempted to resist repression frequently found themselves detained in prisons. Many countries have adopted democratic government, underscored by equality of all people before the law. Many states – South Africa among them – continue to make reforms to address these past injustices, and, as part of this shift, prisons across continents are attempting to decolonise. This article questions whether South Africa can decolonise its prisons, given that the country’s poor are at a higher risk of detention because they are not able to afford bail. The article focuses on the concept of cashless bail and argues that, given South Africa’s history of marginalisation and income inequality, this model can be one mechanism through which to address past injustices with a view to decolonising the country’s prisons. The article makes a strong case for the effective implementation of provisions on inquiry on affordability of cash bail as one of the means to achieve this end.

中文翻译：

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南非的监狱装修：有效保释能力查询的需求

监狱在所有拥有专制统治历史的国家中都是主要角色，因为试图抵抗镇压的人们经常发现自己被关押在监狱中。许多国家采用了民主政府，以法律面前人人平等为重点。许多州（包括南非）继续进行改革以解决这些过去的不公正现象，作为这种转变的一部分，各大洲的监狱都在试图非殖民化。鉴于南非穷人由于无法负担保释金而面临更高的拘留风险，因此本文质疑南非是否可以将其监狱非殖民化。本文着眼于无现金保释的概念，并指出，鉴于南非的边缘化和收入不平等的历史，这种模式可以成为解决过去的不公正现象的一种机制，以实现该国监狱的非殖民化。该条有力地证明了有效实施关于现金保释能力查询的规定是实现这一目的的手段之一。