Out on bail or crowded in jail

A stuffy, overcrowded cell. At times, two or three men to a single bunk. Lockdown for 23 out of 24 hours. Is this what awaits South Africa's Oscar Pistorius if he is not released on bail while he awaits trial for the murder of his girlfriend? Not necessarily, because some of South Africa's prisons are better than others. But whichever one might house Pistorius, there's no question that conditions would be a far cry from those in his US$560,000 home in the luxury Silverwoods Estate, on the outskirts of Pretoria. South African prisons are frequently overcrowded, putting a strain on sanitation, ventilation, and medical care. The overcrowding means three men may share a single cell, or communal cells for 40 people are jammed with double the number they were intended to hold, with men sleeping in double or triple bunks. There was even one person who for the first year in remand detention (pretrial custody) slept on the floor, and then 'graduated' to a bunk. Many inmates are kept locked up for 23 hours a day, with only an hour outside their cell. Some prisons go into lockdown as early as 3 or 4 p.m. local time, leaving prisoners cooped up for 12 hours or more at a stretch. But enough about that because daytime temperatures this winter in Stockholm have regularly dropped to -5°C, but it's still common to see children left outside by their parents for a sleep in the pram. Seriously, would you put your baby or toddler outside in the freezing cold for their lunchtime nap? Most Nordic parents wouldn't give it a second thought. For them it's part of their daily routine. Wander through the snowy city and you'll see buggies lined up outside coffee shops while parents sip on lattes inside. And if you are visiting friends and your child needs a nap, you may be offered the garden or balcony instead of a bedroom. This is just not on. Leaving your child out in sub-zero temperatures is child abuse. If their arm turns black and falls off as a result of such a horrific act, there are consequences for the parent. During the winter, it can get quite cold in parts of New Zealand, and that is why no sane parent here would ever subject their children to such cruelty.