Pistorius moved to different prison to aid rehabilitation

South African Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius has been moved to a prison better suited to his rehabilitation while serving a six-year jail term for murdering his girlfriend.

A prison service spokesman said on Tuesday in Pretoria that Pistorius has been relocated to the Atteridgeville correctional centre, on the outskirts of Pretoria, from the nearby Kgosi Mampuru remand centre.

Manelisi Wolela, Department for Correctional Services Spokesman, said the issue is about access to rehabilitation programmes.

He said this is because a remand detention facility has no rehabilitation programme, because everyone there is assumed innocent and therefore cannot be subjected to rehabilitation programmes.

The athlete, known as the Blade Runner for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, was treated for wrist injuries in August but prison services said he denied trying to kill himself.

Pistorius was sentenced to six years in prison in July after being found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on appeal last December.
The track star originally received a five-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction that was upgraded to murder on appeal.

State prosecutors are challenging Pistorius’ latest six years sentence, arguing it is too lenient as it was less than half the 15 years they sought.
Pistorius said he shot dead Steenkamp by accident after mistaking her for an intruder in his house.