Muntingh, Lukas2015-03-052015-03-052013Muntingh, L. (2013). Guidelines and principles on imprisonment and the prevention of torture under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights - how relevant are they for South Africa? Law, Democracy & Development, 17(1):363-3772077-4907http://hdl.handle.net/10566/1365It must be regarded as a peculiarity that the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights makes no specific mention of prisoners’ rights and that these rights have to be inferred from overall reading of the Charter, and in particular Articles 4-6. There also does not exist in respect of Africa an instrument such as the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners or the European Prison Rules, which would operationalise normative law in a manner that is appropriate to the African context. This article assesses the relationship between the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the South African prison reform debate with reference, first, to the prevention and eradication of torture and other ill-treatment in South Africa and the Robben Island Guidelines, and secondly, to the right to liberty and the recently announced guidelines from the Commission on police and pre-trial detention.enThis article is published in an Open Access journalThis article is published in an Open Access journalHuman rightsPrison reformPrisoner's rightsTortureSouth AfricaArticle