Book Interview— Behind Prison Walls: Unlocking a Safer South Africa
Watch ALM's Ropafadzo Maphosa in conversation with the authors of Behind Prison Walls: Unlocking a Safer South Africa, Judge Edwin Cameron, Rebecca Gore, and Sohela Surajpal. Drawing on their firsthand encounters within the carceral system, the authors reflect on how these experiences informed their motivations for writing the book and the critical insights it offers into incarceration, justice, and the urgent need for prison reform.
About the Authors:
Judge Edwin Cameron served for 25 years on the bench, eleven of which were as a Justice of South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, before assuming the role of Inspecting Judge of Prisons on 1 January 2020. He is also the author of Witness to AIDS and Justice: A Personal Account.
Sohela Surajpal is a law clerk and researcher at the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services. She is a graduate of the Centre for Human Rights’ Master’s programme in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa, and has previously clerked at the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Before joining JICS, she worked as a project officer at the Centre, focusing on LGBTQ+ rights.
Rebecca Gore served as a legal researcher to Inspecting Judge Cameron at the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (2021–2022) and previously clerked at the Constitutional Court of South Africa (2019–2020). She has also worked and consulted for several international human rights bodies, including the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls, and is currently a pupil advocate at the Cape Bar.
The book is available for purchase on Amazon, Kobo, ITSI, and Barnes and Noble.
