A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, South Africa, 2003. / The purpose of the study was to uncover and understand the experiences of inmates in prisons. The study involved 10 inmates who had served at least two years of their sentence. In this study, the researcher used purposive sampling in selecting the research participants. Data was collected using an essay, where participants were asked to respond to three open ended questions. All interviews were conducted in Zulu in order to avoid any misunderstandings. Qualitative data analysis was used to analyze the thematic content of the essays. The following conclusions were drawn from the study: • Being in prison is not fulfilling. • Prisoners experience helplessness, hopelessness, loss of dignity, boredom. There is also a lack of respect which dominates prison life. Lack of facilities also formed part of their experiences. Paying attention to these issues is important as they can contaminate any rehabilitation process and hinder inmates from rebuilding their lives