In South Africa, all Indian inmates are considered for parole as soon as their minimum sentence has been served. Because of a shortage of specialized staff for Indian offenders and prison overcrowding, many Indian offenders do not receive adequate prerelease preparation, particularly in the areas of drug and alcohol abuse and family and marital discord. Overcrowding also contributes to inadequate individualization of treatment and insufficent leisure and recreational opportunities for inmates. Although those Indian inmates who have been provided with educational and vocational training have responded quite favorably, more such services are needed; the absence of an observation center and aptitude testing is a serious omission in the rehabilitation program for Indian inmates. Finally, supervision during parole is inadequate and parole conditions may prevent the reunion of parolees with their families, thus contributing to higher failure rates. 38 notes and references.